A consumer group has found that just over half of California health care workers received flu shots during the 2008-2009 flu season.
Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, says that state public health department data shows an overall vaccination rate of just over 52 percent for workers from nearly 250 hospitals and hospital groups.
The report cites studies that say an 80 percent vaccination rate is necessary to prevent health care workers from transmitting the flu to patients.
Some California hospitals reported that fewer than one-quarter of health care workers had received shots.
Only a handful reported vaccination rates greater than 80 percent.
Consumers Union says its figures don’t account for more than 100 hospitals for which data was not available.