According to new estimates released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the 2009 H1N1 flu virus has killed 10,000 Americans, hospitalized 213,000, and made 50 million ill from April to November 14, 2009. Based on these numbers, the H1N1 swine flu has affected approximately one-sixth of the entire U.S. population.

These new H1N1 estimates reflect a rise in new cases of H1N1 flu from mid-October to mid-November. Of the nearly 10,000 deaths, 1,100 were children and 7,500 were young adults, which is much higher than would normally be seen with seasonal flu. The CDC reported that the rate of H1N1 flu deaths and hospitalizations by mid-November 2009 was four times higher for native Americans and Alaskans than for the general population. It’s not clear why American Indians are more susceptible to severe H1N1 infection, but one reason may be delayed access to medical care and poor nutrition.

To date, the U.S. government has now shipped 85 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine, and many states have begun to offer the vaccine to anyone who wants it, rather than restricting eligibility to those at the highest risk. CDC director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH indicated that most Americans are not infected or vaccinated, and remain susceptible to H1N1 flu. So, the more people who get vaccinated, the lower the probability that the U.S. will be affected by yet another wave of the H1N1 pandemic.

Source:

www.cdc.gov