How Clinical Labs Help Fight Seasonal Viruses and Address Vaccine Hesitancy

As respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses begin to surge during the fall and winter months, clinical laboratories play an increasingly critical role in public health. Leilani Valdes, MD, MBA, FCAP, medical director of Regional Pathology Associates and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at Citizens Medical Center in Victoria, Texas, shares how local labs function as both early detection systems and essential partners in community health.

With the school year approaching and children returning to close-contact environments, Valdes advocates for a practical and respectful approach to vaccine hesitancy in her community. In this last part of our interview, she stated, “Vaccine hesitancy has been around since vaccines were invented,” she said. “Some individuals are uncomfortable with the idea or science behind them, and I respect that. But I believe in approaching it from a science-based perspective—giving people accurate information and letting them make informed decisions.”

Valdes shared a personal story that shaped her views early in her medical career. “A 40-year-old female marathon runner—healthy with no underlying conditions—was admitted with the flu and tragically passed away. She wasn’t vaccinated. That case stuck with me.”

In response, her team began tracking flu-related hospitalizations and whether patients had received the vaccine. “Over several years, we found that while vaccinated individuals sometimes came to the ER with flu symptoms, very few ended up admitted—unless they had serious comorbidities,” she explained. “In contrast, unvaccinated patients were much more likely to require hospitalization.”

Though she acknowledges that the flu vaccine isn’t perfect, Valdes emphasizes its role in reducing illness severity. “It helps your immune system mount a defense,” she said. “You might still feel sick, but you’re much less likely to end up hospitalized—and that’s what’s important to me. My goal is to keep people well enough that they don’t have to come to the hospital.”