Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Surveillance Snapshot: Influenza Immunization Among U.S. Armed Forces Health Care Workers, August 2016–April 2021

Image of 4_Snapshot_influenza immunization health care workers. Staff Sgt. James H. Wagner, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, vaccinates Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, commanding general, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, with the seasonal flu vaccines. All WBAMC beneficiaries are encouraged to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu vaccine and the novel flu virus. Look for flu updates on the WBAMC Facebook page, the All Bliss and the Fort Bliss Monitor. (Photo by SGT Valerie Lopez)

The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care personnel be vaccinated against influenza to protect themselves and their patients.1 The Joint Commission's standard on infection control emphasizes that individuals who are infected with influenza virus are contagious to others before any signs or symptoms appear. The Joint Commission requires that health care organizations have influenza vaccination programs for practitioners and staff and that they work toward the goal of 90% receipt of influenza vaccine. Within the Department of Defense, seasonal influenza immunization is mandatory for all uniformed personnel and for health care personnel who provide direct patient care and is recommended for all others (excluding those who are medically exempt).2–5

This snapshot covers a 5-year surveillance period (August 2016–April 2021) and presents the documented percentage compliance with the influenza immunization requirement among active component health care personnel of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In the 2020–2021 influenza season, the compliance rates for the Navy and Air Force were 95.9% and 95.8%, respectively. Data issues impeded the calculation of compliance rates for the Army during the 2020–2021 season, but the overall influenza compliance rate for all active component soldiers for this period was 94.4%.

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Immunization of health-care personnel: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recomm Rep. 2011;60(RR-7):1–45.
  2. Headquarters, Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard. Army Regulation 40-562, BUMEDINST 6230.15B, AFI 48-110_IP, CG COMDTINST M6230.4G. Medical Services: Immunizations and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases. 7 Oct. 2013.
  3. Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs). Policy for Mandatory Seasonal Influenza Immunization for Civilian Health Care Personnel Who Provide Direct Patient Care in Department of Defense Military Treatment Facilities. Health Affairs Policy 08-005. 4 April 2008. 
  4. Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs). Addition of Pandemic Influenza Vaccine or Novel Influenza Vaccine to the Policy for Mandatory Seasonal Influenza Immunization for Civilian Health Care Personnel Who Provide Direct Patient Care in Department of Defense Military Treatment Facilities. Health Affairs Policy 11-010. 28 July 2011.
  5. Defense Health Agency. Procedural Instruction 6025.34. Guidance for the DOD Influenza Vaccination Program (IVP). 21 Aug. 2020.

FIGURE. Percentage of health care specialists and officers with records of influenza vaccination, by influenza year (1 Aug. through 30 April) and service, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, Aug. 2016–April 2021

You also may be interested in...

Letter to the Editor: Military Health System Exceeded Healthy People 2020 Goal for Rotavirus Vaccination

Article
3/1/2023
Logo800x480MSMR

Letter to the Editor commenting on November 2033 (volume 29 issue 11) MSMR Brief Report, "Pediatric Vaccine Completion and Compliance Among Infants Born to Active Duty Service Members, 2006-2016"

Notice to Readers: Vector-borne Disease Branch Detects Borrelia miyamotoi in Human Tick Submission

Article
3/1/2023
female Ixodes scapularis or deer tick

Notice of emerging tick-borne pathogen detected in January 2023 by the Vector-Borne Disease (VBD) Branch of the Defense Center Public Health-Aberdeen (DCPH-A)

Update: Malaria Among Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2013–2022

Article
3/1/2023
Mosquito trap

This article provides an annual update of rates and incident infections of malaria species among U.S. service members.

Changing of the Guard: MSMR’s Second Editor-in-Chief Retires

Article
2/1/2023
Changing of the Guard: MSMR’s Second Editor-in-Chief Retires

Retrospective of Dr. Francis L. O’Donnell’s 11-year tenure as MSMR’s Editor in Chief

Brief Report: Hospitalizations Among Active Duty Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Fiscal Year 2021

Article
2/1/2023
HospitalizationsCoastGuard

This brief report presents United States Coast Guard hospitalization data for fiscal year 2021 and examines its data completeness, as annual Department of Defense data have not included Coast Guard data since 2015, and describes differences in utilization.

From the Editor's Desk

Article
2/1/2023
From the Editor's Desk

The new MSMR Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Andrew Wiesen, a retired Army physician, provides his perspective on the importance of the MSMR and his expectations for its future.

Historical Perspective: The Critical Role of Disease and Non-Battle Injuries in Soldiers Isolated on Pacific Islands During the Second World War

Article
2/1/2023
SoldiersPacificWWII

This Historical Perspective discusses catastrophic casualties among U.S. and Japanese forces due to failed supply lines during World War II in the Pacific.

Incidence and Management of Chronic Insomnia, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 to 2021

Article
1/1/2023
Incidence and Management of Chronic Insomnia, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 to 2021

Incidence and Management of Chronic Insomnia, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 to 2021.

Increased Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Incidence of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Active Component Service Members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2018 to 2021

Article
1/1/2023
Trends in the incidence of eating disorders among active component service members, 2017 to 2021.

Increased Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Incidence of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Active Component Service Members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2018 to 2021.

Trends in the Incidence of Eating Disorders Among Active Component Service Members, 2017 to 2021

Article
1/1/2023
Changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and in the incidence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, active component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2018 to 2021.

Trends in the Incidence of Eating Disorders Among Active Component Service Members, 2017 to 2021.

Seroepidemiologic Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak Aboard a U.S. Navy Ship

Article
12/1/2022
Cover 1

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been responsible for the largest respiratory illness pandemic since the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Emergency Mental Health Care Utilization and the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Armed Forces and Dependents, 1 January 2017 to 31 March 2021

Article
12/1/2022
Cover 3

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it concerns for the effects on mental health, from both the disease itself and the steps taken to combat it.

Brief Review: Clinical and Epidemiologic Characteristics of Genital Skin Lesions Due to Infectious Causes

Article
12/1/2022
Brief Review: Clinical and Epidemiologic Characteristics of Genital Skin Lesions Due to Infectious Causes

During the current global mpox outbreak, many cases have presented atypically with skin lesions localized to the genital and perianal areas.

Brief Report: Pediatric Vaccine Completion and Compliance Among Infants Born to Female Active Duty Service Members, 2006–2016

Article
11/1/2022
4

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the leading cause of diarrhea-associated morbidity and mortality among children under age 5 worldwide.

Update: Cold Injuries, Active and Reserve Components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2017–June 2022

Article
11/1/2022
1

Cold injuries are of significant military concern because of their adverse impact on operations and the high financial costs of treatment and disability.

Page 1 of 14 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: October 17, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery