Question for Hospital Workers (not medical advice)

[Shyla]

Don't worry. I won't ask you to diagnose anything. I have a weird ex-BIL. He recently said he had to get a bunch of vaccinations. MMR booster, Hepatitis B series, Chicken Pox, and a test for tuberculosis. (I am immune suppressed post transplant so at least he was nice enough to tell us so I can avoid him right after the chicken pox one.) he works for an IT services kind of company. I believe they do have a contract in a hospital. So he would sometimes go there to move and re-install computers in different areas. To me it seems odd but is there a chance all this is required to work in the hospitals on those types of contracts?

[AnaKhouri]

It's possible. My husband works in a children's hospital and every year all employees are required to get a flu shot regardless of whether they work with patients or not (he works in a research lab in a completely different building from the main hospital). If they can't show an allergy or something and refuse to get the shot, they'll be fired. No vaccinations otherwise for him, though.

If your BIL is working in a hospital building and possibly coming into contact with patients, it makes sense he would be required to be up to date on his vaccinations. Both to protect him and the patients.

[Sapphire Silk]

Don't worry. I won't ask you to diagnose anything. I have a weird ex-BIL. He recently said he had to get a bunch of vaccinations. MMR booster, Hepatitis B series, Chicken Pox, and a test for tuberculosis. (I am immune suppressed post transplant so at least he was nice enough to tell us so I can avoid him right after the chicken pox one.) he works for an IT services kind of company. I believe they do have a contract in a hospital. So he would sometimes go there to move and re-install computers in different areas. To me it seems odd but is there a chance all this is required to work in the hospitals on those types of contracts?

Yes. This is not surprising at all. Even if he doesn't work in direct patient care areas, he may still come in contact with patients or family members who could either transmit something to him, or he could transmit something to them. Breaking the chain of infection is the key to infection control.

And if he will ever be in a patient care area, then vaccination is essential.

He can decline the Hep B series in most places, but since it's expensive I would take advantage of it if I were him: he should be getting all this for free. He could ask for a titer for the MMR and chicken pox (Varicella) to see if he actually needs a booster/vaccination (unless he's already gotten them). He's probably being asked to do the booster because he doesn't have his childhood vaccination records.

A yearly skin TB test is something everyone should get, but especially anyone who works in a healthcare facility of any type, whether they have contact with patients or not.

[EvilEmpryss]

He could ask for a titer for the MMR and chicken pox (Varicella) to see if he actually needs a booster/vaccination (unless he's already gotten them). He's probably being asked to do the booster because he doesn't have his childhood vaccination records.

Even though I've had the MMR vaccine and had chicken pox as a kid, when I found out it still requires a needle for the titer I just say the heck with it and get the vaccines. I'd rather get one needle than two.

[Gilhelmi]

Ah, the yearly TB tests. How I do not miss it one bit. Just one tiny annoying shot, but takes 3 days to read, and if you scratch it, "congratulations", you just made a "false positive".

[BlaqueKatt]

Even though I've had the MMR vaccine and had chicken pox as a kid, when I found out it still requires a needle for the titer I just say the heck with it and get the vaccines. I'd rather get one needle than two.

The titer is a good idea regardless, a very small amount of people develop no immunity from vaccines(or the illnesses), and you could be walking around thinking you're immune when you're not.

[Sientara]

I work in IT in a hospital. We have computers all over that we support, including the patient rooms and in the surgery rooms. I have had to suit up and look at computers while a surgery was taking place before. (Hello, tunnel vision.) They are just being prudent since there is no way to know in advance where you will need to go.

[EvilEmpryss]

The titer is a good idea regardless, a very small amount of people develop no immunity from vaccines(or the illnesses), and you could be walking around thinking you're immune when you're not.

True enough, but since I'm terrified of needles it's traumatic enough for me to get the vaccines. I risk passing out from a flu shot--blood draws send me into a full blown anxiety attack. Since I was in the military and got all those lovely annual vaccines and another round whenever I got deployed, whether I needed them or not, I'm happy thinking that I'm covered by now.

[Sapphire Silk]

Even though I've had the MMR vaccine and had chicken pox as a kid, when I found out it still requires a needle for the titer I just say the heck with it and get the vaccines. I'd rather get one needle than two.

Ah, but if you have a positive titer you don't need a booster. And vaccines can have side effects (fever, blahs, etc) so I'd rather take the chance of a 2nd needle later and avoid all that.

The titer is a good idea regardless, a very small amount of people develop no immunity from vaccines(or the illnesses), and you could be walking around thinking you're immune when you're not.

Fortunately, people who don't seroconvert are protected by herd immunity. I didn't seroconvert to Hep B after having the series twice. I'm not too worried; I don't engage in risky behaviors and the odds of transmission at work are very very low.

[Seshat]

is there a chance all this is required to work in the hospitals on those types of contracts?

Fixed it for you.

Hospitals are places where infection congregates. Additional measures are required to support herd immunity, and to control infection - as Sapphire Silk said upthread, 'breaking the chain of infection'.

'herd immunity' is the main reason we no longer experience outbreaks of the diseases we have reliable immunisation for. We still get isolated cases, but because those isolated cases are surrounded by immune people, the disease gets no chance to infect the herd and become an outbreak/epidemic/pandemic.
Even better, if it can't infect the herd it has a much lower chance of being able to mutate and develop into a second variation of the disease and create a double outbreak.

Therefore anyone who works in a hospital and can be immunised, should be immunised, to maintain the herd immunity.


If you want a more detailed, and less 'summarised', version of what herd immunity is, any of our medically-trained members should be able to explain it.

[Gizmo]

The titer is a good idea regardless, a very small amount of people develop no immunity from vaccines(or the illnesses), and you could be walking around thinking you're immune when you're not.

Yeah, a friend works in a recycling place and had to have all the shots and vaccinations. Full amount of rounds allowed for the Hepatitius and his system still doesn't show the antibodies.... Work nearly sacked him for it but he pointed out his history (army etc) and they were like "ok..."

[EvilEmpryss]

Ah, but if you have a positive titer you don't need a booster. And vaccines can have side effects (fever, blahs, etc) so I'd rather take the chance of a 2nd needle later and avoid all that.

Positive titers don't last forever so eventually I'd wind up getting two shots.

[Sapphire Silk]

Yeah, a friend works in a recycling place and had to have all the shots and vaccinations. Full amount of rounds allowed for the Hepatitius and his system still doesn't show the antibodies.... Work nearly sacked him for it but he pointed out his history (army etc) and they were like "ok..."

That would have been quite unfair. Like I said, some people never seroconvert. That doesn't put them at greater risk as long as they follow universal precautions.

Positive titers don't last forever so eventually I'd wind up getting two shots.

Some vaccinations don't need boosters. MMR, varicella and polio don't, that's what makes it worthwhile to get the titer. I've used my titer results from the 90's to get every job I've had since then.

Pertussis and tetanus do need boosters. Diptheria sometimes. I had to get a TDaP booster last year because the hospitals were requiring booster shots for pertussis for all hospital workers. However, I'm allergic to tetanus. My doctor didn't have pertussis by itself, and told me getting it would probably be difficult and expensive. So he told me to take Benadryl and gave me a prescription for prednisone and I got the TDaP. I did fine.

Jury's out on Hep B and some of the other vaccinations.

[EvilEmpryss]

Some vaccinations don't need boosters. MMR, varicella and polio don't, that's what makes it worthwhile to keep your shot records.

There. Fixed that for ya.

[Shyla]

Thanks for the info. Too bad they haven't yet finalized the vaccine for c diff, one of the worst things going around a hospital.