In today’s news:
The CDC is out with updated swine flu figures for the six-month period from April 1 to the October 17. So far, 22 Million Americans have been sickened by H1N1. Over 150,000 people in the USA have been hospitalized for that flu and its complications, with as many as 6100 deaths, including 540 children.
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“We do think we are having a substantial number of deaths,” CDC immunization and respiratory disease chief Anne Schuchat, MD, said at a news conference. “The numbers are only through Oct. 17, and we have seen a lot of deaths since then. Unfortunately, we will see more. … I do believe the pediatric death toll will be extensive and much more than we have seen with seasonal flu.”
It is still very early in the flu season. What makes this season so unusual is that it has started VERY early, and that most of the severe cases are among the young.
The CDC has conservatively estimated at least 1,000 more deaths.