2017-2018 Influenza Season Update
Tiffany Henderson, MPH - Regional Epidemiology Unit Manager - Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Influenza has made its presence known this year,
with the virus making state and national headlines and closing down multiple
schools in Michigan as well as across the country. A recent study indicates that in addition to
droplets, the influenza virus may be spread through aerosols and another study
provides evidence of a significant association between flu and subsequent heart
attacks. As of the week ending January 20, 2018, Michigan, along with 48 other
states and Puerto Rico, reported widespread influenza activity.
2017-2018 Influenza Season Update>>
Vaccination without Litigation — Addressing Religious Objections to Hospital Influenza-Vaccination Mandates
In April 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Mission Hospital, a large North Carolina health system, over its denial of employee requests for religious exemptions from an influenza-vaccination requirement. The lawsuit, which alleges religious discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, settled in January 2018, with Mission agreeing to both compensate the employees and revise its policy on vaccination exemptions.
Communicating Risk in Public Health Emergencies
A World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline for Emergency Risk Communication (ERC) policy and practice
The World Health Organization (WHO) developed evidence-based guidelines for how to communicate risk in an emergency and how to build capacity for those who do not have emergency communication capacity currently.
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