The last severe U.S. flu season was the 2017-2018 season with an estimated 48.8 million people falling ill and 79,400 deaths, according to the CDC.
A surge in influenza cases in Australia this year and at least three of them resulting in deaths in the U.S. in recent weeks have some physicians worried that this year’s flu season could be a bad one for Americans.
Takeaway: The CDC recommends everyone over the age of 6 months to get vaccinated each year, with rare exceptions.