ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

In the United States, influenza vaccination rates differ greatly by age. For example, during the 2024-2025 flu season, around ** percent of those aged 65 years and older received an influenza vaccination, compared to just ** percent of those aged 18 to 49 years. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older in the United States should get vaccinated against influenza every year, with a few exceptions. Although influenza is mild for most people, it can lead to hospitalization and even death, especially among the young, the old, and those with certain preexisting conditions.

The impact of flu vaccinations

Flu vaccinations are safe and effective, preventing thousands of illnesses, medical visits, and deaths every year. However, the effectiveness of flu vaccines varies each year depending on what flu viruses are circulating that season and the age and health status of the person receiving the vaccination. During the 2023-2024 flu season, it was estimated that influenza vaccination prevented almost 64**** hospitalizations among those aged 65 years and older. In addition, flu vaccinations prevented deaths among those aged 65 years and older, as well as *** deaths among children aged six months to four years.

The burden of influenza

The impact of influenza is different from season to season. However, during the 2023-2024 flu season, there were around ** million cases of influenza in the United States. Furthermore, there were around *deaths due to influenza, an increase from the previous year but significantly fewer than in when influenza contributed to * deaths. Most of these deaths are among the elderly. In ****Ìý³Ù³ó±ð death rate due to influenza among those aged 65 years and older was around **** per 100,000 population. In comparison, those aged 18 to 49 had an influenza death rate of just *** per 100,000 population.