Smarter Vaccination Strategies Could Strengthen Future Influenza Preparedness: Marco del Riccio, MD

Findings from the Flunomics report, published by Sanofi in collaboration with Marco del Riccio, MD, underscore the need for clear, updated, risk-based recommendations to strengthen preparedness for future influenza seasons, he tells The American Journal of Managed Care® in a recent interview.

Despite ongoing policy uncertainty, del Riccio emphasizes that integrating influenza vaccination into routine clinical pathways and raising awareness among patients and health care providers could boost coverage and adherence, ultimately reducing the impact of seasonal influenza.

Watch parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 to learn more about the Flunomics report and the factors that contributed to the severity of the 2024-2025 US influenza season.

This transcript has been lightly edited; captions were auto-generated.

Transcript

How should your findings shape preparedness and prevention strategies for future influenza seasons?

The situation in the US is certainly different from other countries, and it's really hard to foresee what will come next in the future due to, for instance, the changing role of the CDC in this recent [presidential] term. There are also differences between the different states.

In terms of seasonal influenza epidemics, the thing would be, certainly, to have clear recommendations with the appropriate tools for age, for instance. In different age groups, we do have the so-called enhanced vaccines. There are different types of products that are approved specifically for specific risk groups, so having updated recommendations and access to those vaccines for the risk groups, including age-based groups over 65, would certainly be helpful.

Then, speaking not only to have recommendations but also to actually have increased awareness, both in the population and in the health care providers. One key thing, not just for the US but for every country, is that we would have a section on vaccination. Especially for this case, it would be very useful for influenza vaccination and in the clinical pathways.

So, having vaccination included in the paths for specific patients would really be key. If you're a person entering a specific path because you have, for example, diabetes, and within the guidelines and then your clinical path, the first thing to do is your checks. Included in the check is the influenza vaccination because it's recommended for you. The first time you see a specialist for your condition, one thing to do is to check that the vaccination for the season is done; this would be helpful for coverage and for compliance.