Seasonal Flu and Death Statistics

[dogmom]

I figured since there have been various threads talking about H1N1 and vaccines and if it is blown out of proportion I figured I would post the following stats, since we don't have a full year data on H1N1:

According to 2009 stats there were 40,170 deaths from seasonal flu, only 2,820 under the age of 45 and only 8,890 under the age of 55, so why are we all so worried? And no kids died.

OK, no replace the word flu with breast cancer. Those are the 2009 stats from the American Cancer Society. I guess we can all just chuck the pink ribbons in the trash since it's no big deal and less than 9,000 people under the age of 55 died, an it only effects 1/2 the population for the most part.

[shawnandangel]

I don't know where you got your info from . . but if you are talking about the 2007-2008 flu season then you are mistaken. From the CDC:

Influenza-Associated Pediatric Mortality*:
As of June 19, 2008, 83 deaths associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza infections have occurred among children aged < 18 years during the 2007--08 influenza season that were reported to CDC. These deaths were reported from 33 states (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin). Among the 83 cases, the mean and median age was 6.4 years and 5.0 years, respectively; seven children were aged < 6 months, 16 were aged 6--23 months, 18 were aged 2--4 years, and 42 were aged 5--17 years. Of the 79 cases for which the influenza virus type was known, 51 were influenza A viruses, 27 were influenza B viruses, and one had co-infection with influenza A and B viruses. Of the 63 cases aged 6 months and older for whom vaccination status was known, 58 (92%) had not been vaccinated against influenza according to the 2007 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations. These data are provisional and subject to change as more information becomes available

The 2009 flu season is not over yet. (Actually I think it ends today and 2010 starts. . .I may be wrong on this though) However, so far in this season, 117 pediatric deaths have occured nationwide. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2008-2009/weekly37.htm

This is pediatric flu death data from 2005 - present http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2008-2009/IPD37.htm

[dogmom]

My point wasn't that the flu doesn't cause pediatric deaths. My point was take a disease that gets a lot of media attention that causes a similar number of deaths, and none of them pediatric, and no one thinks that we make "to big of a deal" out of it. If I said that breast cancer only causes 40,000 deaths, and most of them elderly, so I'm not going to get a vaccine for it people would react differently to that statement. But the same argument is being made for flu. I realize it's an individual decision. I realize that cancer is different from the flu. But the when people say "only 36,000" die a year I want to put it in perspective.

[vludmilla]

One major difference between the flu and breast cancer is that a much smaller percentage of people ever get breast cancer than ever get the flu. So, the flu is much less deadly on a per capita basis than is breast cancer.

[Naranjadia]

Another difference between flu and breast cancer is there are no preventative steps in the latter case. A better example might be car seat safety. According to the CDC, 986 children died as a result of a motor vehicle accident. That number may seem small, but since there are steps we can take to make the number lower, we promote them. In fact, 986 is a large number for the age group in question.

But I guess I'm still not sure what you mean...

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I figured since there have been various threads talking about H1N1 and vaccines and if it is blown out of proportion I figured I would post the following stats, since we don't have a full year data on H1N1:

According to 2009 stats there were 40,170 deaths from seasonal flu, only 2,820 under the age of 45 and only 8,890 under the age of 55, so why are we all so worried? And no kids died.

OK, no replace the word flu with breast cancer. Those are the 2009 stats from the American Cancer Society. I guess we can all just chuck the pink ribbons in the trash since it's no big deal and less than 9,000 people under the age of 55 died, an it only effects 1/2 the population for the most part.

So those are the stats for BC not the flu correct? I think the way it was worded threw people off a bit.

[Naranjadia]

So those are the stats for BC not the flu correct? I think the way it was worded threw people off a bit.

Oh, now I get it!

[mommylamb]

Personally, I get the flu shot and I get the vaccine for DS, not because I'm so afraid of death, but because I've had the flu before and it really really sucks. I don't want to go through that again and I don't want DS to if I can help it. And, while there are lots of diseases out there that may cause more deaths than the flu, that's not a good reason not to get the vaccine.

[citymama]

I think the big difference between seasonal flu and H1N1 (one that is especially worrying to the medical and public health community) is that it is striking the healthiest members of society - the under 55s disproportionately. There have been about 1000 deaths in the US since August, all in the younger age group, and all before the official start of flu season.

[mommylamb]

Dogmom, I miss read your post too... I thought you were making light of the flu and people "over reacting." Now that I re-read it, I realized I misinterpreted what you said.