Influenza kills 20,000 to 40,000 Americans annually.134
The category of influenza and pneumonia was the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 1995.135
Severe epidemics measured by excess mortality due to flu and pneumonia occurred in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.136
About 20 percent of deaths occur in people without obvious underlying conditions.137
The 1998-1999 flu season caused about 50,000 deaths, due to a deadly viral strain Type A H3N2 virus.138
During epidemics, the rate of hospital admissions may increase by 100 percent to 170 percent.139
Over 300,000 people are hospitalized annually for influenza.140
Adults ages 19 to 65 account for 55 percent of influenza hospitalizations.141
As many as 24 million cases of flu require medical attention.142
60 percent or more of flu patients never seek medical attention.143
Epidemic attack rates of up to 60 to 75 percent have been seen in school children, who have had less experience with flu and are more susceptible to infection than adults.144
Annual attack rates can exceed 30 percent in children, who are infectious longer than adults and act as vectors of disease, disseminating influenza to their families and communities.145
25 percent of children under the age of five need medical care for acute respiratory disease during epidemics.146
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