Pneumococcal vaccination for welders: Global deployment within a multi‐national corporation

Background

Lobar pneumonia is an occupational disease of welders. This is the first report of global deployment of a pneumococcal vaccination program for welders within a multi‐national corporation.

Methods

Global webinars were conducted to introduce the program. Communication packages translated into all location languages were deployed. All employee welders who had not previously been vaccinated were offered a free single dose of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) by on‐site location medical centers during normal working hours. Numbers of vaccinated welders were reported by each location each month.

Results

Twelve months after starting the program, 241 of 767 welders have been vaccinated (31%) across six countries.

Conclusions

Global deployment of pneumococcal vaccination for welders can be successfully undertaken by a multi‐national corporation. Adoption of this practice by corporations could reduce the incidence and mortality of pneumonia among welders globally.

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