Vaccination plan puts health care workers first

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Essential health care workers would be immunized first if a flu pandemic broke out in the United States, the government said Wednesday. The Department of Health and Human Services released long-awaited details on who would get vaccinated and when if a serious global influenza epidemic emerged. The plan put a million health care workers, such as emergency room staff and nurses skilled in vaccinating others, at the top. Next were military and "mission critical" personnel, public health workers and hospital and nursing home staff. All of these play a "critical role in providing care for the sickest persons; highest risk of exposure and occupational infection," the plan read. "This guidance is the result of a deliberative democratic process," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement. "This document... [read full story]