Vaccinations

If the RI&E(Risk inventory & evaluation) shows that there is a relevant risk to the health of employees and vaccination is available, the employer must offer vaccination (Working Conditions Decree). See the Health Council's advice on this subject: employees and infectious diseases: criteria for vaccination. If you have any questions about this, please contact the occupational health and safety service. This is intended to protect the employee. In addition, vaccination of employees contributes to patient safety, because an infected employee can unintentionally infect a vulnerable patient. Examples of this are influenza and hepatitis B, where an employee without symptoms of illness can still transmit an infection to a patient.

 

Umcs operate on the principle that if you have patient-related tasks, you must be vaccinated in accordance with the National Immunization Program. If you are not yet fully vaccinated, you are advised to catch up on your vaccinations. Please contact your occupational health and safety service for more information.

In principle, vaccinations are voluntary. There is also no compulsory vaccination for hepatitis B. However, refusal may result in a person being unable to perform certain tasks within their job, or in alternative tasks being sought to reduce the risk of infection. See the National guideline on the prevention of HBV transmission from medical personnel to patients and the SRI guideline on accidental blood contact.

Healthcare workers who regularly perform high-risk procedure, such as surgeons and other healthcare workers involved in operations, are expected to ensure that they are either 1) immune to the hepatitis B virus or 2) not contagious to others. The easiest way to achieve this is through vaccination. Thoses who do not want to be vaccinated or who do not have sufficient antibodies must periodically demonstrate that they are not infected with the hepatitis B virus, for example through blood tests. This can be done through the occupational health and safety service. See LCI guideline Prevention of iatrogenic transmission of hepatitis B.

Specifically for employees who work with newborns and unvaccinated children, the advice is to get vaccinated against whooping cough, because these children have not yet been able to develop immunity through vaccination. See the Health Council's advice: criteria for vaccination against whooping cough.

Finally, the umcs organize the annual flu vaccination campaign. If you have any questions about this, please contact your occupational health and safety service.

In addition to vaccinations offered by your employer, there are also vaccination campaigns organized by the government and general practitioners, such as:

• Annual flu shot: available through your GP or your university medical center.
• COVID-19 vaccinations: available through the Municipal Health Service (GGD).
• Pneumococcal vaccinations: available through your GP.