Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/20...ients_die.html
Immunization for Ontario health care workers lags as patients die
Thousands of health care staff and patients have sickened or died in recent years. Yet opinion remains divided on mandatory immunization.
By: Tara Deschamps Staff Reporter, Robert Cribb Foreign, Published on Sat Jul 19 2014
Nearly 200 people died and hundreds more were hospitalized from the spread of disease in Toronto long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals in the past four years, a Star/Ryerson University investigation has found.
In all, more than 4,200 staff, patients and residents became sick or were killed in 144 fatal outbreaks between 2010 and 2013.
To bring the numbers to acceptable levels will take ?some form? of mandatory immunization of health care workers, said Dr. David McKeown, Toronto?s medical officer of health. To be effective, the rates need to be above 90 per cent, he said.
Staff immunization rates in Toronto hospitals were 47 per cent last year, 57 per cent in ?complex continuing-care facilities? such as rehabilitation clinics and 76 per cent in long-term care facilities.
Among the thousands sickened in Toronto outbreaks ? including health care workers, patients and residents ? more than 260 people were hospitalized last year alone, according to Toronto Public Health estimates...
Immunization for Ontario health care workers lags as patients die
Thousands of health care staff and patients have sickened or died in recent years. Yet opinion remains divided on mandatory immunization.
By: Tara Deschamps Staff Reporter, Robert Cribb Foreign, Published on Sat Jul 19 2014
Nearly 200 people died and hundreds more were hospitalized from the spread of disease in Toronto long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals in the past four years, a Star/Ryerson University investigation has found.
In all, more than 4,200 staff, patients and residents became sick or were killed in 144 fatal outbreaks between 2010 and 2013.
To bring the numbers to acceptable levels will take ?some form? of mandatory immunization of health care workers, said Dr. David McKeown, Toronto?s medical officer of health. To be effective, the rates need to be above 90 per cent, he said.
Staff immunization rates in Toronto hospitals were 47 per cent last year, 57 per cent in ?complex continuing-care facilities? such as rehabilitation clinics and 76 per cent in long-term care facilities.
Among the thousands sickened in Toronto outbreaks ? including health care workers, patients and residents ? more than 260 people were hospitalized last year alone, according to Toronto Public Health estimates...
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