Overall Impact Children, healthy adults and older people are all susceptible to the influenza virus. Each year, influenza infects 100 to 150 million people in the United States i , and 10,000 to 40,000 die from influenza and influenza-related illnesses. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. 12 of every 100 medically attended illnesses per year, or more than 10 percent, are due to influenza. In this report, potential vaccines were evaluated in terms of their projected impact on morbidity and mortality, effect on healthcare costs and the estimated cost of development and administration.
Children are the primary spreaders of the influenza virus.
Their immune systems often lack the antibodies that adults develop after repeated years of flu exposure. Once infected, children often pass the flu to other members of their households via everyday contact. The Journal of the American Medical Association. March 10, 1999. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, PHS 98-1232.