The mortality rate from influenza in the United States is by far highest among those aged 65 years and older. During the 2023-2024 flu season, the mortality rate from influenza for this age group was around 32.1 per 100,000 population. The burden of influenza The impact of influenza in the U.S. varies from season to season, but in the 2023-2024 flu season, there were an estimated 40 million cases. These cases resulted in around 470,000 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 2023-2024 flu season, around 28,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives due to influenza. Impact of vaccinations The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive an annual 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 2022-2023 flu season, only about 35 percent of those aged 18 to 49 years received a flu vaccination.

During the 2023-2024 flu season in the United States, an estimated 27,965 people died from influenza. The vast majority of deaths due to influenza occur among the elderly, with those aged 65 years and older accounting for 19,038 deaths during the 2023-2024 flu season. During this time, the mortality rate from influenza among those aged 65 years and older was around 32 per 100,000 population, compared to a mortality rate of two per 100,000 population among those aged 18 to 49 years. Influenza deaths Although most people recover from influenza without the need of medical care, influenza and pneumonia are still major causes of death in the United States. Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia and cases in which influenza develops into pneumonia tend to be more severe and more deadly. However, the impact of influenza varies from year to year depending on which viruses are circulating. For example, during the 2017-2018 flu season around 52,000 people died due to influenza, whereas in 2023-2024 total deaths amounted to 28,000. Preventing death The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive an annual influenza vaccination. These vaccines have proven to be safe and are usually cheap and easily accessible. Each year, flu vaccinations prevent thousands of influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths. It was estimated that during the 2022-2023 flu season, vaccinations prevented the deaths of around 2,479 people aged 65 years and older.