[Are the immunization services offered to students at university hospitals in Germany sufficient?]

Objective: Healthcare professionals have an increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases and can also serve as a source of infection to their patients. The German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends that healthcare professionals should be sufficiently vaccinated against vaccine-preventable infections. Also medical students belong to this target group. For this reason their vaccination status should be checked and -if necessary- completed before working with patients.

Methods: Anonymous questionnaire-based survey among occupational physicians at university hospitals in Germany provided information about immunization services and the acceptance of vaccination.

Results: In total 34 of 37 university hospitals (response 91.9%) participated in this survey. Except one university hospital, all offered occupation-related vaccinations to their medical students. While hepatitis B vaccination was offered in all 33 university hospitals with immunization services, more than 44% did not offer at all or only to restricted groups (e. g. students with an internship in Pediatrics) vaccinations against measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). In 50% of the university hospitals this also applied to the pertussis vaccinations. Only 33% of university hospitals reported to collect data for a precise vaccination coverage assessment. A seasonal influenza vaccination program for medical staff was established at 30 (88%) university hospitals, but of these only 56% included medical students.

Conclusion: The forceful implementation of evidence-based vaccination recommendations supports the reduction of nosocomial infections and outbreaks. In view of the WHO goal of eliminating measles and a documented increased risk of acquiring measles, it is alarming that university hospitals do not offer MMR-vaccines to their medical students at all or only to restricted groups. There is also a need to improve health services in respect to offering influenza and pertussis vaccinations to medical students and collecting data to better assess vaccination coverage.