Knowledge, attitudes and adherence towards influenza and other vaccinations among healthcare workers at the University Hospital of Palermo, Italy, during the first COVID-19 pandemic season (2020/2021).

Background: Increasing adherence to influenza vaccination among healthcare workers is a public health priority, stated that actually remains far below than international recommendations. During the 2020/2021 pandemic season, COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available until the end of December 2020, and influenza vaccines were the only one available to protect against seasonal respiratory diseases. The main objective of the present study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and adherence to influenza and other vaccinations recommended by the National Immunization Plan 2017-2021 for healthcare workers. Methods: Enrollment lasted from October and December 2020 at the vaccination unit of the University Hospital of Palermo. Data were collected through an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, divided into 5 sections and 31 items. Results: Among 734 healthcare professionals that completed the survey, a significantly higher adherence to influenza vaccination was observed among healthcare workers that were more prone to receive COVID-19 vaccination (OR=4.02; 95% CI: 1.63-9.91). Moreover, higher influenza vaccination rates were observed among healthcare professionals that received influenza vaccination during previous 2019/2020 season (OR=15.3; 95% CI: 5.17-45.1) and that were favorable to the possible impact on increasing adherence of influenza mandatory vaccination (OR=4.88; 95% CI: 2.43-9.80). Conclusions: Propensity of healthcare workers to undergo vaccinations recommended in the National Immunization Plan increased during the first pandemic season. At the end of the vaccination season, flu vaccination coverage reached highest rates ever at the University Hospital of Palermo (around 60%), remaining anyway below the recommended minimum value of 75%. During next seasonal flu vaccination campaigns, it becomes essential to promote communication and information strategies to increase flu vaccination among healthcare workers, also focusing on co-administration with the anti-COVID-19 booster/seasonal doses.

Relationship between formaldehyde exposure, respiratory irritant effects and cancers: a review of reviews.

OBJECTIVES: Formaldehyde is an organic compound used in the production of resins, paper, wood plywood, solvents and cleaning products. Formaldehyde is also present when tobacco is smoked. Formaldehyde has been defined as an irritant and is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the following two distinct correlations: (1) the association between formaldehyde exposure and development of irritant diseases affecting the respiratory tract, mainly asthma; and (2) the association between formaldehyde exposure and development of neoplastic diseases. STUDY DESIGN: This was an umbrella review. METHODS: A search was conducted in the three main electronic databases of scientific literature: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The search included systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in the previous 10 years. Initially, titles and abstracts of retrieved articles were evaluated, then full-text assessments of selected articles took place. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed according to Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) score. RESULTS: A total of 630 articles were initially collected. Nine articles concerning the association between formaldehyde exposure and asthma were included in the present review, and the majority of these reported good association. In addition, 27 articles investigating the association between formaldehyde exposure and neoplastic diseases were included in the review. These studies showed that nasopharyngeal cancer and leukaemia were the most represented neoplastic diseases; however, only a weak association was reported between formaldehyde exposure and cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Although the studies included in this review did not show a strong association between exposure to formaldehyde and irritant or neoplastic diseases, the World Health Organisation recommends that levels of formaldehyde do not exceed the threshold value of 0.1 mg/m3 (0.08 ppm) for a period of 30 min. It is recommended that preventive measures, such as ventilation in workplaces with high exposure to formaldehyde and environmental monitoring of formaldehyde concentrations, are implemented.