Why Vaccination Uptake is Crucial During the Winter Season

Ruth Carrico, PhD, DNP, APRN, Professor at the University of Louisville’s Division of Infectious Disease and co-founder of the Infection Prevention Institute, has partnered with Sanofi to talk about the importance of annual flu vaccination and address individuals that are particularly at risk.

Ruth Carrico, PhD, DNP, APRN, Professor at the University of Louisville’s Division of Infectious Disease and co-founder of the Infection Prevention Institute

“Influenza is a disease of breathing, as is COVID-19 and RSV and other respiratory viruses. So, ensuring or doing what we can to take steps toward safety is critical, in we know influenza and COVID both. Influenza particularly can have some life-threatening, life-altering complications, including pneumonia, serious heart conditions, even if individuals are otherwise healthy,” said Carrico.

Respiratory diseases like the flu and COVID-19 take advantage of underlying health conditions and spread more quickly during the winter months. Using her extensive knowledge in the infectious disease space, Carrico discussed the things providers nationwide should be doing to educate their patients on respiratory virus season. She also briefly discussed the role of pharmacists in increasing vaccine uptake.

Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of Carrico’s interview for further insights on vaccination during respiratory virus season.

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