1/25/2010
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Jan. 15 that as many as 80 million Americans were infected with the H1N1 flu virus between April and Dec. 12, 2009. This resulted in 360,000 hospitalizations and up to 16,000 deaths. So far only about 62 million Americans have been vaccinated against the virus, though about 130 million doses of vaccine have been made available. What makes the numbers re the hospitalizations and deaths more alarming is the lower age that was the target, as opposed to the usual elderly/infant distribution with seasonal flu.
Mark M. Blatter, M.D.
Medical Director
Primary Physicians Research