"bad flu verses flu"

[BigLickMountee]

I am amused by the coined phrase "bad flu" when considering the history data on flu deaths.

If you believe the CDC, last year's estimated of death by flu to be 34k in 2018-2019, 61k 2017-2018, and 38k for 2017-2017.

Current estimated deaths from COVID is 49K and will climb.

If trending over future years stays constant, which is the bad flu or not?

Are you all measuring "bad" by the intensity of symptoms or numbers of deaths? By death rate alone, both are bad and to a large degree preventable with current vaccine availability. What is your point of reference to call one or the other a "bad flu"?

 

[Pospecteer]

I am amused by the coined phrase "bad flu" when considering the history data on flu deaths.

If you believe the CDC, last year's estimated of death by flu to be 34k in 2018-2019, 61k 2017-2018, and 38k for 2017-2017.

Current estimated deaths from COVID is 49K and will climb.

If trending over future years stays constant, which is the bad flu or not?

Are you all measuring "bad" by the intensity of symptoms or numbers of deaths? By death rate alone, both are bad and to a large degree preventable with current vaccine availability. What is your point of reference to call one or the other a "bad flu"?

It makes people feel better.

 

[WVUALLEN]

There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Human influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal epidemics of disease known as the flu season almost every winter in the United States.Nov 18, 2019.

This graphic shows the two types of influenza viruses (A,B) that cause most human illness and that are responsible for the flu season each year. Influenza A viruses are further classified into subtypes, while influenza B viruses are further classified into two lineages: B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. Both influenza A and B viruses can be further classified into specific clades and sub-clades (which are sometimes called groups and sub-groups).

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm

Seasonal flu vaccines do not protect against influenza C or D viruses. In addition, flu vaccines will NOT protect against infection and illness caused by other viruses that also can cause influenza-like symptoms. There are many other viruses besides influenza that can result in influenza-like illness (ILI) that spread during flu season.