The number of people who die from seasonal flu every year varies greatly from year to year. No one really knows what it is. The most frequently (mis)quoted figure is 36,000 deaths directly or indirectly, although this figure is a long term seasonal average of excess mortality correlated with flu season. We discussed this in more detail in an earlier post and for the purposes of this one, only the rough order of magnitude is pertinent. Let’s just say it’s in the tens of thousands — roughly. Let’s also agree on the several hundred thousand hospitalizations from flu or flu related illness — on average. It turns out that this is roughly the annual mortality from motor vehicle accidents (41,000) and about half the hospitalizations from car accidents (around 500,000). There are roughly 4 million emergency department visits for motor vehicle related injuries (CDC). So with seasonal flu we are [...]

Original post by revere none@example.com