The flu season was exacerbated by a … In the 2016-17 season, there were an estimated 29 million flu cases in the United States; and estimated 497,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 38,000 flu-related deaths. The 2018-19 influenza season in Canada was longer than the previous five seasons and was characterized by two waves of influenza A activity and very little influenza B circulation. The team estimated excess deaths due to flu for 33 individual countries - 57 percent of the world’s population - based on surveillance data from 1999 up to 2015. In total, the CDC estimates that up to 42.9 million people got sick during the 2018-2019 flu season, 647,000 people were hospitalized and 61,200 died. Lately, mild flu seasons tend to kill about 12,000 Americans, and more severe flu seasons kill up to 56,000. How effective was the 2017-2018 flu vaccine? The higher number reflects the particularly harsh 2017-2018 flu season. Flu results in "about 250,000 to 500,000 yearly deaths" worldwide, Wikipedia tells us. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. For more information, see Estimating Seasonal Influenza-Associated Deaths in the United States and CDC’s Disease Burden of Influenza page. You can unsubscribe at any time. 0-4 and 5-24 years of age groups. How Long It Will Last. Magazines, This Past Flu Season Was the Longest in 10 Years, the CDC Says. As it does for the numbers of flu cases, doctor’s visits and hospitalizations, CDC also estimates deaths in the United States using mathematical modeling. 8. It was the longest in a decade, lasting 21 weeks. However, influenza B viruses became more commonly reported than influenza A viruses in early March 2018 through May 2018. While the majority of the tested viruses showed susceptibility to the antiviral drugs, 11 (1.0%) H1N1pdm09 viruses were resistant to both oseltamivir and peramivir, but were sensitive to zanamivir. More than 32 million people around the world have contracted COVID-19, and 977,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's real-time tracker. Most people recover within a week without requiring medical attention. Influenza C infections generally cause a mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics. COVID-19 has killed more than 500,000 people since the outbreak began in late 2019 but the figure still hasn’t caught up to seasonal influenza which causes up to 650,000 deaths per year. This means the flu vaccine reduced a person’s overall risk of having to seek medical care at a doctor’s office for flu illness by 40%. Flu vs. COVID-19 fatality rate . Influenza Surveillance Report (FluView), Past Flu Seasons Flu Forecasting Accuracy Results, Tools to Prepare Your Practice for Flu Season, Information for Clinicians on Influenza Virus Testing, Multiplex Assays Authorized for Simultaneous Detection of Influenza Viruses and SARS-CoV-2, Information on Collection of Respiratory Specimens for Influenza Virus Testing, Information for Clinicians on Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Influenza, Information on Rapid Molecular Assays, RT-PCR, and other Molecular Assays for Diagnosis of Influenza Virus Infection, Algorithm: Interpreting Influenza Testing Results When Influenza is Circulating, Algorithm: Interpreting Influenza Testing Results When Influenza is NOT Circulating, Guide: Influenza Diagnostic Testing in Closed Setting Outbreaks, Guidance: Standard-Based Electronic Laboratory Reporting, Guidance: Antiviral and Obstetric Health Care, Guidance: Outbreak Management in Long-Term Care Facilities, Guidance: Use of Mask to Control Influenza Transmission, Guidance: Prevention & Control in Peri- and Postpartum Settings, Health Professional References & Resources, Responding to Problems with Purchasing Needles for Flu Vaccination, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. To do so, CDC uses the preliminary estimates of burden from the 2018–19 season in a model with vaccine … The 2018-19 influenza season in Canada was longer than the previous five seasons and was characterized by two waves of influenza A activity and very little influenza B circulation. I am wondering how many of those people actually died of the flu. World Health Organization total death counts by country. As of April 19, 2019, a total of 186 pediatric deaths had been reported to CDC during the 2017-2018 season. The estimates were then extrapolated to 185 countries covering six WHO regions, four World Bank income classifications, and selected age-groups. The 2017–2018 United States flu season lasted from late 2017 through early 2018. Nationally, mortality attributed to P&I exceeded 10.0% for four consecutive weeks, peaking at 10.8% during the week ending January 20, 2018. Flu death statistics not collected. The recommended influenza B components for the 2018-19 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine are B/Colorado/06/2017 (Victoria lineage) and B/Phuket/3073/2013 (Yamagata lineage). Since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the (H1N1)pdm09 flu virus has circulated seasonally in the U.S. causing significant illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Update: Influenza Activity in the United States During the 2017–18 Season and Composition of the 2018–19 Influenza Vaccine, Update: ACIP Recommendations for the Use of Quadrivalent Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV4) — United States, 2018–19 Influenza Season, Health Advisory: Seasonal Influenza A(H3N2) Activity and Antiviral Treatment of Patients with Influenza, Update: Influenza Activity — United States, October 1–November 25, 2017, Update: Influenza Activity — United States and Worldwide, Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines, Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2017–18 Influenza Season, CDC Grand Rounds: Public Health Response to Severe Influenza, Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduces Risk of Severe Illness, Influenza Division Staff Win Two Charles C. Shepard Awards, CDC Reported Flu Deaths in Children Exceeds Seasonal High, Influenza A (H1N2) Reassortant Infection in the Netherlands, Study of Flu-Related Deaths in Children Shows Healthy Children at Risk, Seasonal Flu Death Estimate Increases Worldwide, CDC Releases Educational Materials for Teachers for Use with “Junior Disease Detectives: Operation Outbreak” Graphic Novel, Transcript for CDC Update on Widespread Flu Activity, Transcript for CDC Update on Flu Activity, Transcript for CDC Telebriefing Update on Widespread Flu Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Reconstruction of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Virus, 2019-2020 Preliminary In-Season Burden Estimate, Who is at High Risk for Flu Complications, Who Should & Who Should NOT Get Vaccinated, Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV)/Nasal Spray Vaccine, Selecting Viruses for the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine, Flu Vaccine and People with Egg Allergies, Frequently Asked Questions on Vaccine Supply, Historical Reference of Vaccine Doses Distributed, Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN), How Vaccine Effectiveness and Efficacy are Measured, What People with a Staph Infection Should Know about Flu, Resources for Hosting a Vaccination Clinic, Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET), Weekly U.S. Previous estimates of 250 000-500 000 annual influenza deaths are outdated. Subscribe for just 99¢. During the 2017-2018 season, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was at or above the epidemic threshold for 16 consecutive weeks. Antiviral resistance means that a virus has changed in such a way that antiviral drugs are less effective or not effective at all in treating or preventing illnesses with that virus. It adds: “The flu killed 64,000 people in this country in 2018, and you didn't bat an eye.” This figure for flu deaths is far too high, and Covid-19 meets the definition of a “real pandemic”. Note: See Frequently Asked Flu Questions for 2018-2019 Influenza Season for flu and flu vaccine information specific to the current flu season. ILI peaked at 7.5%, the highest percentage since the 2009 flu pandemic, which peaked at 7.7%. Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com. Get the latest health news, diet & fitness information, medical research, health care trends and health issues that affect you and your family on ABCNews.com Death certificate data and weekly influenza virus surveillance information was used to estimate how many flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate included respiratory or circulatory causes. Previous estimates of 250 000-500 000 annual influenza deaths are outdated. The 2017-18 season was the first season to be classified as a high severity across all age groups. The CDC reports that "between 291,000 and 646,000 people worldwide die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year." Since flu-associated deaths in children became a nationally notifiable condition in 2004, the total number of flu-associated deaths among children during one season has ranged from 37 (during the 2011-2012 season) to 186 (during the 2017-18 season, as of April 19, 2019); this excludes the 2009 pandemic, when 358 pediatric deaths from April 15, 2009 through October 2, 2010 were reported to CDC. It adds: “The flu killed 64,000 people in this country in 2018, and you didn't bat an eye.” This figure for flu deaths is far too high, and Covid-19 meets the definition of a “real pandemic”. Although the 2018-2019 flu season is over, the CDC is already reminding people to get vaccinated ahead of the 2019-2020 season, since it’s the best way to reduce the risk of getting and transmitting influenza. The overall vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the 2017-2018 flu vaccine against both influenza A and B viruses is estimated to be 40%. This system provides an overall indication of whether flu-associated deaths are elevated, but does not provide an exact number of how many people died from flu. In a perfect world, the flu death statistic would be based on an actual count of confirmed deaths after infection with the flu virus. The 2018-2019 flu season may not have been as severe as the one that came before it, but it set a record of its own, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say. The Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 influenza pandemic, was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus.Lasting from February 1918 to April 1920, it infected 500 million people – about a third of the world's population at the time – in four successive waves. Thank you for reading TIME. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, annual influenza epidemics result in about 3-5 million cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. Flu broke records for deaths, illnesses in 2017-2018, new CDC numbers show. Influenza-like illness (ILI) was at or above the national baseline for 19 weeks, making the 2017-2018 season one of the longest in recent years. Influenza vaccination also has been shown to reduce the risk of flu death in children. How many children died from flu during the 2017-2018 season? We updated the estimated number of global annual influenza-associated respiratory deaths using country-specific influenza-associated excess respiratory mortality estimates from 1999-2015. This is shown for deaths worldwide. Seasonal influenza is an acute viral infection that spreads easily from person to person and circulates worldwide. In 2017, CDC began using new methodology to classify seasonal severity and applied the methodology to the 2003-2004 through 2016-2017 seasons. Saving Lives, Protecting People. 26 May 2016. Fewer illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths were reported this year than during last year’s notoriously brutal flu season, earning the 2018-2019 season an overall severity rating of “moderate,” according to a new CDC recap. From October 1, 2017 through April 28, 2018, 30,453 laboratory-confirmed influenza-related hospitalizations were reported through the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET), which covers approximately 9% of the U.S. population. The most severe flu pandemic in recorded history was the 1918 influenza, which infected one-third of the world’s population and claimed at least 50 million lives. To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominated overall during the 2017-2018 season. For example, during the 2016–2017 influenza season, CDC estimates that flu vaccine prevented an estimated 5.3 million illnesses, 2.6 million medical visits, and 85,000 hospitalizations associated with influenza.