The burden of influenza in the United States can vary from year to year depending on which viruses are circulating, how many people receive an influenza vaccination, and how effective the vaccination is in that particular year. During the 2019-2020 flu season, around 25,000 people lost their lives to the disease. Although most people recover from influenza without needing medical care, the disease can be deadly among young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses.
Deaths due to influenza Even though most people recover from influenza without medical care, influenza and pneumonia can be deadly, especially for older people and those with certain preexisting conditions. Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia and although most cases of influenza do not develop into pneumonia, those that do are often more severe and more deadly. Deaths due to influenza are most common among the elderly, with a mortality rate of around 7.4 per 100,000 population during the 2021-2022 flu season. In comparison, the mortality rate for those aged 50 to 64 years was just 1.2 per 100,000 population.
Flu vaccinations The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive a yearly influenza vaccination. These vaccines have proven to be safe and are usually cheap and easily accessible. Nevertheless, every year a large share of the population in the United States still fails to get vaccinated against influenza. For example, in the 2021-2022 flu season only 37 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years received a flu vaccination. Unsurprisingly, children and the elderly are the most likely to get vaccinated. It is estimated that during the 2021-2022 flu season vaccinations prevented over 618 thousand influenza cases among children aged 6 months to 4 years.
Influenza, also called the flu, is one of the most infectious diseases worldwide. Its symptoms range from mild to severe, and include sore throat, cough, runny nose, fever, headache, and muscle pain, but can also cause severe illness and death among high-risk populations such as the elderly and children. During the 2022-2023 flu season, there were 31 million cases of influenza in the United States.
Influenza deaths Although influenza does not require medical attention for most people, it can be deadly, and causes thousands of deaths every year. The impact of influenza varies from year to year. The number of influenza deaths during the 2021-2022 flu season was 4,977. The vast majority of deaths attributed to influenza during the 2021-2022 flu season occurred among those aged 65 years and older.
Vaccination An annual influenza vaccination remains the most effective way of preventing influenza. During the 2021-2022 flu season, influenza vaccinations prevented an estimated 867 deaths among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older. Although, flu vaccinations are accessible and cheap, a large share of the United States population still fails to get vaccinated every year. In 2021-2022, only 37 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years received a flu vaccination, much lower compared to children and the elderly.
The mortality rate from influenza in the United States is by far highest among those aged 65 years and older. During the 2022-2023 flu season the mortality rate from influenza for this age group was around 26.6 per 100,000 population.
The burden of influenza The impact of influenza in the U.S. varies from season to season, but in the 2022-2023 flu season there were an estimated 31 million cases. These cases resulted in around 360,000 hospitalizations. Although most people recover from influenza without requiring medical treatment, the disease can be deadly for young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. During the 2022-2023 flu season, around 21,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives due to influenza.
Impact of vaccinations The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive a yearly vaccination at the beginning of flu season. Flu vaccines are safe and can greatly reduce the burden of the disease. During the 2022-2023 flu season vaccinations prevented around 2,479 deaths among those aged 65 years and older. Although flu vaccines are usually cheap and easily accessible, every year a large share of the population in the U.S. still does not get vaccinated. For example, during the 2021-2022 flu season only about 37 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years received a flu vaccination.
This dataset contains the following files for California influenza surveillance data: 1) Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Data by Region and Influenza Season from volunteer sentinel providers; 2) Clinical Sentinel Laboratory Influenza and Other Respiratory Virus Surveillance Data by Region and Influenza Season from volunteer sentinel laboratories; and 3) Public Health Laboratory Influenza Respiratory Virus Surveillance Data by Region and Influenza Season from California public health laboratories. The Immunization Branch at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) collects, compiles and analyzes information on influenza activity year-round in California and produces a weekly influenza surveillance report during October through May. The California influenza surveillance system is a collaborative effort between CDPH and its many partners at local health departments, public health and clinical laboratories, vital statistics offices, healthcare providers, clinics, emergency departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). California data are also included in the CDC weekly influenza surveillance report, FluView, and help contribute to the national picture of Influenza activity in the United States. The information collected allows CDPH and CDC to: 1) find out when and where influenza activity is occurring; 2) track influenza-related illness; 3) determine what influenza viruses are circulating; 4) detect changes in influenza viruses; and 5) measure the impact influenza is having on hospitalizations and deaths.
https://www.usa.gov/government-workshttps://www.usa.gov/government-works
Effective September 27, 2023, this dataset will no longer be updated. Similar data are accessible from wonder.cdc.gov.
Deaths involving COVID-19, pneumonia, and influenza reported to NCHS by sex, age group, and jurisdiction of occurrence.
This file contains the provisional percent of total deaths by week for COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus for deaths occurring among residents in the United States. Provisional data are based on non-final counts of deaths based on the flow of mortality data in National Vital Statistics System.
Over 12 million people in the United States died from all causes between the beginning of January 2020 and August 21, 2023. Over 1.1 million of those deaths were with confirmed or presumed COVID-19.
Vaccine rollout in the United States Finding a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine was an urgent health priority since the very start of the pandemic. In the United States, the first two vaccines were authorized and recommended for use in December 2020. One has been developed by Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna, and the number of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines administered in the U.S. was over 250 million. Moderna has also said that its vaccine is effective against the coronavirus variants first identified in the UK and South Africa.
This file contains the complete set of data reported to 122 Cities Mortality Reposting System. The system was retired as of 10/6/2016. While the system was running each week, the vital statistics offices of 122 cities across the United States reported the total number of death certificates processed and the number of those for which pneumonia or influenza was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death by age group (Under 28 days, 28 days - 1 year, 1-14 years, 15-24 years, 25-44 years, 45-64 years, 65-74 years, 75-84 years, and - 85 years). U:Unavailable. - : No reported cases.* Mortality data in this table were voluntarily reported from 122 cities in the United States, most of which have populations of >100,000. A death is reported by the place of its occurrence and by the week that the death certificate was filed. Fetal deaths are not included. Total includes unknown ages. More information on Flu Activity & Surveillance is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivitysurv.htm.
TABLE III. Deaths in 122 U.S. cities - 2014.
122 Cities Mortality Reporting System — Each week, the vital statistics offices of 122 cities across the United States report the total number of death certificates processed and the number of those for which pneumonia or influenza was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death by age group (Under 28 days, 28 days –1 year, 1-14 years, 15-24 years, 25-44 years, 45-64 years, 65-74 years, 75-84 years, and ≥ 85 years).
FOOTNOTE:
U: Unavailable. —: No reported cases.
† Pneumonia and influenza.
§ Because of changes in reporting methods in this Pennsylvania city, these numbers are partial counts for the current week. Complete counts will be available in 4 to 6 weeks.
¶ Total includes unknown ages.
More information on Flu Activity & Surveillance is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivitysurv.htm.
In the United States, the highest rate of hospitalizations due to influenza are among those aged 65 years and older. During the 2022-2023 flu season, the rate of hospitalizations due to influenza among this age group was about 332 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of around 46 per 100,000 for those aged 5 to 17 years. Influenza is a common viral infection that usually does not require medical treatment. However, for the very young, the old, and those with certain pre-existing conditions, influenza can be serious and even deadly.
The burden of influenza in the United States The impact of influenza in the United States varies from year to year depending on the strain that is most prevalent during that season and the immunity in the population. Nevertheless, influenza and pneumonia are often among the top ten causes of death in the United States. Preliminary estimates show that around 21,000 people died from influenza during the 2022-2023 flu season. However, during the 2017-2018 flu season, an estimated 51,000 people lost their lives to influenza.
The importance of flu vaccines The best way to avoid catching the flu and to reduce the virus’s overall burden on society is by receiving an annual flu vaccination. The CDC currently recommends that everyone over 6 months of age should get a flu vaccination every year, preferably by the end of October. The flu vaccine is safe, efficient, and reduces the number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths caused by the virus. For example, during the 2018-2019 flu season it was estimated that vaccinations averted around 58 thousand influenza-related hospitalizations. However, despite the proven benefits and wide availability of flu vaccinations, a large percentage of people in the United States fail to receive a vaccination every year. During the 2021-2022 flu season, only about 37 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years were vaccinated against influenza, compared to 74 percent of those aged 65 years and older.
NNDSS - TABLE 1R. Hepatitis C, perinatal infection to Influenza-associated pediatric mortality - 2022. In this Table, provisional cases* of notifiable diseases are displayed for United States, U.S. territories, and Non-U.S. residents. Notes: • These are weekly cases of selected infectious national notifiable diseases, from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). NNDSS data reported by the 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories are collated and published weekly as numbered tables available at https://www.cdc.gov/nndss/data-statistics/index.html. Cases reported by state health departments to CDC for weekly publication are subject to ongoing revision of information and delayed reporting. Therefore, numbers listed in later weeks may reflect changes made to these counts as additional information becomes available. Case counts in the tables are presented as published each week. See also Guide to Interpreting Provisional and Finalized NNDSS Data at https://www.cdc.gov/nndss/docs/Readers-Guide-WONDER-Tables-20210421-508.pdf. • Notices, errata, and other notes are available in the Notice To Data Users page at https://wonder.cdc.gov/nndss/NTR.html. • The list of national notifiable infectious diseases and conditions and their national surveillance case definitions are available at https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/. This list incorporates the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) position statements approved by CSTE for national surveillance. Footnotes: *Case counts for reporting years 2021 and 2022 are provisional and subject to change. Cases are assigned to the reporting jurisdiction submitting the case to NNDSS, if the case's country of usual residence is the U.S., a U.S. territory, unknown, or null (i.e. country not reported); otherwise, the case is assigned to the 'Non-U.S. Residents' category. Country of usual residence is currently not reported by all jurisdictions or for all conditions. For further information on interpretation of these data, see https://www.cdc.gov/nndss/docs/Readers-Guide-WONDER-Tables-20210421-508.pdf. †Previous 52 week maximum and cumulative YTD are determined from periods of time when the condition was reportable in the jurisdiction (i.e., may be less than 52 weeks of data or incomplete YTD data). § Please refer to the CDC WONDER publication for weekly updates to the footnote for this condition. U: Unavailable — The reporting jurisdiction was unable to send the data to CDC or CDC was unable to process the data. -: No reported cases — The reporting jurisdiction did not submit any cases to CDC. N: Not reportable — The disease or condition was not reportable by law, statute, or regulation in the reporting jurisdiction. NN: Not nationally notifiable — This condition was not designated as being nationally notifiable. NP: Nationally notifiable but not published. NC: Not calculated — There is insufficient data available to support the calculation of this statistic. Cum: Cumulative year-to-date counts. Max: Maximum — Maximum case count during the previous 52 weeks.
NNDSS - TABLE 1R. Hepatitis C, perinatal infection to Influenza-associated pediatric mortality - 2020. In this Table, provisional cases* of notifiable diseases are displayed for United States, U.S. territories, and Non-U.S. residents. Notice: Data from California published in week 29 for years 2019 and 2020 were incomplete when originally published on July 24, 2020. On August 4, 2020, incomplete case counts were replaced with a "U" indicating case counts are not available for specified time period. Note: This table contains provisional cases of national notifiable diseases from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). NNDSS data from the 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories are collated and published weekly on the NNDSS Data and Statistics web page (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/data-and-statistics.html). Cases reported by state health departments to CDC for weekly publication are provisional because of the time needed to complete case follow-up. Therefore, numbers presented in later weeks may reflect changes made to these counts as additional information becomes available. The national surveillance case definitions used to define a case are available on the NNDSS web site at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/. Information about the weekly provisional data and guides to interpreting data are available at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/infectious-tables.html. Footnotes: U: Unavailable — The reporting jurisdiction was unable to send the data to CDC or CDC was unable to process the data. -: No reported cases — The reporting jurisdiction did not submit any cases to CDC. N: Not reportable — The disease or condition was not reportable by law, statute, or regulation in the reporting jurisdiction. NN: Not nationally notifiable — This condition was not designated as being nationally notifiable. NP: Nationally notifiable but not published. NC: Not calculated — There is insufficient data available to support the calculation of this statistic. Cum: Cumulative year-to-date counts. Max: Maximum — Maximum case count during the previous 52 weeks. * Case counts for reporting years 2019 and 2020 are provisional and subject to change. Cases are assigned to the reporting jurisdiction submitting the case to NNDSS, if the case's country of usual residence is the U.S., a U.S. territory, unknown, or null (i.e. country not reported); otherwise, the case is assigned to the 'Non-U.S. Residents' category. Country of usual residence is currently not reported by all jurisdictions or for all conditions. For further information on interpretation of these data, see https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/document/Users_guide_WONDER_tables_cleared_final.pdf. †Previous 52 week maximum and cumulative YTD are determined from periods of time when the condition was reportable in the jurisdiction (i.e., may be less than 52 weeks of data or incomplete YTD data). § Please refer to the CDC WONDER publication for weekly updates to the footnote for this condition.
This dataset represents preliminary estimates of cumulative U.S. COVID-19 disease burden for the 2024-2025 period, including illnesses, outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. The weekly COVID-19-associated burden estimates are preliminary and based on continuously collected surveillance data from patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. The data come from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET), a surveillance platform that captures data from hospitals that serve about 10% of the U.S. population. Each week CDC estimates a range (i.e., lower estimate and an upper estimate) of COVID-19 -associated burden that have occurred since October 1, 2024.
Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change as more data become available. Rates for recent COVID-19-associated hospital admissions are subject to reporting delays; as new data are received each week, previous rates are updated accordingly.
References
https://www.usa.gov/government-workshttps://www.usa.gov/government-works
This dataset represents preliminary weekly estimates of cumulative U.S. RSV-associated hospitalizations for the 2024-2025 season. Estimates are preliminary, and use reported weekly hospitalizations among laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. The data are updated week-by-week as new RSV-associated hospitalizations are reported to CDC from the RSV-NET surveillance system and include both new admissions that occurred during the reporting week, as well as those admitted in previous weeks that may not have been included in earlier reporting. Each week CDC estimates a range (i.e., lower estimate and an upper estimate) of RSV-associated hospitalizations that have occurred since October 1, 2024. For details, please refer to the publication [7].
Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change as more data become available. Rates for recent RSV-associated hospital admissions are subject to reporting delays; as new data are received each week, previous rates are updated accordingly.
Note: Preliminary burden estimates are not inclusive of data from all RSV-NET sites. Due to model limitations, sites with small sample sizes can impact estimates in unpredictable ways and are excluded for the benefit of model stability. CDC is working to address model limitations and include data from all sites in final burden estimates.
References
Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
License information was derived automatically
Abbreviations: y: years.Data are from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Influenza-Associated Pediatric Mortality Surveillance System (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivity.htm).
https://www.usa.gov/government-workshttps://www.usa.gov/government-works
This dataset represents preliminary estimates of cumulative U.S. RSV –associated disease burden estimates for the 2024-2025 season, including outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Real-time estimates are preliminary and based on continuously collected surveillance data from patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. The data come from the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RSV-NET), a surveillance platform that captures data from hospitals that serve about 8% of the U.S. population. Each week CDC estimates a range (i.e., lower estimate and an upper estimate) of RSV-associated disease burden estimates that have occurred since October 1, 2024.
Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change as more data become available. Rates for recent RSV-associated hospital admissions are subject to reporting delays; as new data are received each week, previous rates are updated accordingly.
Note: Preliminary burden estimates are not inclusive of data from all RSV-NET sites. Due to model limitations, sites with small sample sizes can impact estimates in unpredictable ways and are excluded for the benefit of model stability. CDC is working to address model limitations and include data from all sites in final burden estimates.
References
Dataset aims to facilitate a state by state comparison of potential risk factors that may heighten Covid 19 transmission rates or deaths. It includes state by state estimates of: covid 19 positives/deaths, flu/pneumonia deaths, major city population densities, available hospital resources, high risk health condition prevalance, population over 60, and means of work transportation rates.
The Data Includes:
1) Covid 19 Outcome Stats:
Covid_Death : Covid Deaths by State
Covid_Positive : Covid Positive Tests by State
2) US Major City Population Density by State: CBSA_Major_City_max_weighted_density
3) KFF Estimates of Total Hospital Beds by State:
Kaiser_Total_Hospital_Beds
4) 2018 Season Flu and Pneumonia Death Stats:
FLUVIEW_TOTAL_PNEUMONIA_DEATHS_Season_2018
FLUVIEW_TOTAL_INFLUENZA_DEATHS_Season_2018
5)US Total Rates of Flu Hospitalization by Underlying Condition:
Fluview_US_FLU_Hospitalization_Rate_....
6) State by State BRFSS Prevalance Rates of Conditions Associated with Higher Flu Hospitalization Rates
BRFSS_Diabetes_Prevalance
BRFSS_Asthma_Prevalance
BRFSS_COPD_Prevalance
BRFSS_Obesity BMI Prevalance
BRFSS_Other_Cancer_Prevalance
BRFSS_Kidney_Disease_Prevalance
BRFSS_Obesity BMI Prevalance
BRFSS_2017_High_Cholestoral_Prevalance
BRFSS_2017_High_Blood_Pressure_Prevalance
Census_Population_Over_60
7)State by state breakdown of Means of Work Transpotation:
COMMUTE_Census_Worker_Public_Transportation_Rate
Links to data sources:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/
https://covidtracking.com/data/
https://gis.cdc.gov/GRASP/Fluview/FluHospRates.html https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/state-data-and-policy-actions-to-address-coronavirus/#stateleveldata
Tables: ACSST1Y2018.S1811 ACSST1Y2018.S0102
https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2012/dec/c2010sr-01-density.html
https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/mortality.html
I hope to show the existence of correlations that warrant a deeper county by county analysis to identify areas of increased risk requiring increased resource allocation or increased attention to preventative measures.
https://www.usa.gov/government-workshttps://www.usa.gov/government-works
This dataset represents preliminary weekly estimates of cumulative U.S. COVID-19-associated hospitalizations for the 2024-2025 period. The weekly cumulatve COVID-19 –associated hospitalization estimates are preliminary, and use reported weekly hospitalizations among laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. The data are updated week-by-week as new COVID-19 hospitalizations are reported to CDC from the COVID-NET system and include both new admissions that occurred during the reporting week, as well as those admitted in previous weeks that may not have been included in earlier reporting. Each week CDC estimates a range (i.e., lower estimate and an upper estimate) of COVID-19 -associated hospitalizations that have occurred since October 1, 2024. For details, please refer to the publication [7].
Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change as more data become available. Rates for recent COVID-19-associated hospital admissions are subject to reporting delays; as new data are received each week, previous rates are updated accordingly.
References
In the United States, influenza vaccination rates differ greatly by age. For example, during the 2022-2023 flu season, around 70 percent of those aged 65 years and older received an influenza vaccination, compared to just 35 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older in the United States should get vaccinated against influenza every year, with a few exceptions. Although influenza is mild for most people it can lead to hospitalization and even death, especially among the young, the old, and those with certain preexisting conditions.
The impact of flu vaccinations Flu vaccinations are safe and effective, preventing thousands of illnesses, medical visits, and deaths every year. However, the effectiveness of flu vaccines varies each year depending on what flu viruses are circulating that season and the age and health status of the person receiving the vaccination. During the 2022-2023 flu season it was estimated that influenza vaccination prevented almost 31 thousand hospitalizations among those aged 65 years and older. In addition, flu vaccinations prevented 2,479 deaths among those aged 65 years and older as well as 63 deaths among children six months to four years.
The burden of influenza The impact of influenza is different from season to season. However, during the 2022-2023 flu season there were around 31 million cases of influenza in the United States. Furthermore, there were around 21,000 deaths due to influenza, an increase from the previous year but significantly fewer than in 2017-2018 when influenza contributed to 51,000 deaths. Most of these deaths are among the elderly. In 2022-2023 the death rate due to influenza among those aged 65 years and older was around 26.6 per 100,000 population. In comparison, those aged 18 to 49 years had an influenza death rate of just .7 per 100,000 population.
description:
NNDSS - Table II. Giardiasis to Haemophilus influenza - 2016. In this Table, provisional* cases of selected notifiable diseases ( 1,000 cases reported during the preceding year), and selected low frequency diseases are displayed. The Table includes total number of cases reported in the United States, by region and by states, in accordance with the current method of displaying MMWR data. Data on United States exclude counts from US territories.
Note:
These are provisional cases of selected national notifiable diseases, from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). NNDSS data reported by the 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories are collated and published weekly as numbered tables printed in the back of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Cases reported by state health departments to CDC for weekly publication are provisional because of ongoing revision of information and delayed reporting.
Case counts in this table are presented as they were published in the MMWR issues. Therefore, numbers listed in later MMWR weeks may reflect changes made to these counts as additional information becomes available.
Footnotes:
C.N.M.I.: Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
U: Unavailable. -: No reported cases. N: Not reportable. NN: Not Nationally Notifiable. NP: Nationally notifiable but not published. Cum: Cumulative year-to-date counts. Med: Median. Max: Maximum.
NNDSS - Table II. Giardiasis to Haemophilus influenza - 2016. In this Table, provisional* cases of selected notifiable diseases ( 1,000 cases reported during the preceding year), and selected low frequency diseases are displayed. The Table includes total number of cases reported in the United States, by region and by states, in accordance with the current method of displaying MMWR data. Data on United States exclude counts from US territories.
Note:
These are provisional cases of selected national notifiable diseases, from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). NNDSS data reported by the 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories are collated and published weekly as numbered tables printed in the back of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Cases reported by state health departments to CDC for weekly publication are provisional because of ongoing revision of information and delayed reporting.
Case counts in this table are presented as they were published in the MMWR issues. Therefore, numbers listed in later MMWR weeks may reflect changes made to these counts as additional information becomes available.
Footnotes:
C.N.M.I.: Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
U: Unavailable. -: No reported cases. N: Not reportable. NN: Not Nationally Notifiable. NP: Nationally notifiable but not published. Cum: Cumulative year-to-date counts. Med: Median. Max: Maximum.
The burden of influenza in the United States can vary from year to year depending on which viruses are circulating, how many people receive an influenza vaccination, and how effective the vaccination is in that particular year. During the 2019-2020 flu season, around 25,000 people lost their lives to the disease. Although most people recover from influenza without needing medical care, the disease can be deadly among young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses.
Deaths due to influenza Even though most people recover from influenza without medical care, influenza and pneumonia can be deadly, especially for older people and those with certain preexisting conditions. Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia and although most cases of influenza do not develop into pneumonia, those that do are often more severe and more deadly. Deaths due to influenza are most common among the elderly, with a mortality rate of around 7.4 per 100,000 population during the 2021-2022 flu season. In comparison, the mortality rate for those aged 50 to 64 years was just 1.2 per 100,000 population.
Flu vaccinations The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive a yearly influenza vaccination. These vaccines have proven to be safe and are usually cheap and easily accessible. Nevertheless, every year a large share of the population in the United States still fails to get vaccinated against influenza. For example, in the 2021-2022 flu season only 37 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years received a flu vaccination. Unsurprisingly, children and the elderly are the most likely to get vaccinated. It is estimated that during the 2021-2022 flu season vaccinations prevented over 618 thousand influenza cases among children aged 6 months to 4 years.