How do this seasons death rates from influenza compare with recent years and pandemic years?
It’s really hard to say at this point. We’ve seen influenza peak in a couple of southwestern states, but we’re nowhere near the peak in the Midwest or on the East Coast. My guess is we’re in for a worse year than most based on what kind of flu strain this is, the season starting earlier than it has in the past 30 years and what we’ve seen early on in some of the southwestern states. I estimate 50,000 to 70,000 Americans may die as a result of this flu season. In comparison to pandemic years, it’s interesting. Pandemics don’t necessarily mean death — they just mean widespread disease. Unfortunately, death is usually a part of the disease. About 34,000 people died in the 1968 Hong Kong pandemic in the United States. Nearly 70,000 people in the United States died in the 1957 Asian flu pandemic. And over 20 million people worldwide died in the 1918 pandemic.
