Background: Healthcare workers are exposed to occupational stressors and biological agents, against which vaccination is available. This study explores the association between emotional exhaustion (EE) and immune response to Influenza vaccine (IV) one and six months after vaccination. Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted with 136 healthy nurses from an university hospital. Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey exhaustion scale was applied and IV administered in T0. Antibodies hemagglutinin titles (ab) titles to each strain composing IV were assessed at T0, T1 and T6. Findings: No statistically relevant relationship was found between high EE and both “insufficient” immune response to each strain of IV at T1 (A1strain: p= 0,098; A3 strain: p=0,182; B strain: p=0,45) and ab reduction at T6 (A1strain: p= 0,288; A3 strain: p=0,312; B strain: p=0,544). Discussion: High immunogenicity of IV, demographic characteristics (e.g. age) and EE levels in the studied nurses may have masked small influences between EE and immune response to vaccination.

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