12261 Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
1867 Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2022 Sep-Oct;137(5):936-943. doi: 10.1177/00333549211041659. Epub 2021 Sep 15.
Influenza infects millions of people each year and contributes to tens of thousands of deaths annually despite the availability of vaccines. People most at risk of influenza complications are disproportionately represented in people incarcerated in US prisons and jails. The objectives of this study were to survey health administrators in Massachusetts county jails about institutional influenza vaccine policies and practices and estimate influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails from 2013 to 2020.
In April 2020, we administered surveys to the health services administrators in Massachusetts' 14 county jails to gather information about influenza vaccination policies and delivery practices. To calculate influenza vaccination rates for each facility, we obtained data on influenza vaccine orders from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for each county in Massachusetts for influenza seasons 2013-2020. We calculated summary statistics for each reporting facility and each year, conducted a Kruskal-Wallis analysis to compare vaccination rates between years, and used a linear regression model to identify predictors of vaccination rates.
Influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails ranged from 1.9% to 11.8%. We found no significant differences in vaccination rates between years. Influenza vaccine ordering and delivery practices varied by jail, and respondents had high levels of confidence in influenza policies and vaccine delivery practices.
Influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails are low, and delivery practices in jails vary. Lack of influenza vaccinations in jails is a gap in health care that needs to be prioritized, especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigations for effective and equitable vaccination in this population should involve people who are incarcerated and people who make influenza vaccine policies in jails.
尽管有疫苗可用，但流感每年仍感染数百万人，并导致数万人死亡。在因流感而产生并发症的人群中，美国监狱和看守所中被监禁的人比例过高。本研究的目的是调查马萨诸塞州郡看守所的卫生管理人员有关机构流感疫苗政策和做法的情况，并估计 2013 年至 2020 年马萨诸塞州看守所的流感疫苗接种率。
2020 年 4 月，我们向马萨诸塞州 14 个郡看守所的卫生服务管理人员发放了调查问卷，以收集有关流感疫苗接种政策和接种做法的信息。为了计算每个机构的流感疫苗接种率，我们从马萨诸塞州公共卫生部获取了 2013-2020 年每个流感季节马萨诸塞州各县的流感疫苗订购数据。我们对每个报告机构和每个年份计算了汇总统计数据，进行了 Kruskal-Wallis 分析以比较年份之间的疫苗接种率，并使用线性回归模型确定疫苗接种率的预测因素。
马萨诸塞州看守所的流感疫苗接种率在 1.9%至 11.8%之间。我们未发现年份之间的疫苗接种率存在显著差异。各看守所的流感疫苗订购和接种做法存在差异，受访者对流感政策和疫苗接种做法具有高度信心。
马萨诸塞州看守所的流感疫苗接种率较低，而且各看守所的接种做法存在差异。看守所中缺乏流感疫苗接种是一个需要优先解决的医疗保健差距，尤其是考虑到当前的 COVID-19 大流行。为该人群制定有效和公平的疫苗接种方案应涉及被监禁的人和制定看守所流感疫苗政策的人。
