While people ages 65+ have the highest risk of getting the flu and dying from it, the flu does not discriminate. Sadly, people of all ages can die from the flu.
During the 2019-2020 flu season, almost 500 people under 18 died from flu and over 2,000 people between the ages of 18-49 died from flu. Read our family stories to see the faces behind these statistics.
People at Higher Risk of Flu Death:
The following groups are at a higher risk of flu complications, including hospitalization and death.
- Adults 65 years and older
- Children younger than 2 years old
- Pregnant people and people up to 2 weeks after the end of pregnancy
- People with health conditions (like asthma, heart disease, and diabetes)
Flu Can Be Deadly:
The above numbers show that the flu can be serious, even deadly, for anyone – regardless of age or health status. Flu is not just a bad cold and can lead to serious complications like pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, hospitalization, sepsis, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), brain (encephalitis), or muscle tissues (myositis, rhabdomyolysis), and multi-organ failure.
Flu Prevention:
Influenza vaccination is safe and effective. Annual vaccination is the single best way to help protect yourself and your family from the flu each year.
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127698/influenza-us-deaths-by-age-group/
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/index.htm