WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 80,000 Americans died from complications of the flu last year – the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades.
The director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, revealed the total during an interview Tuesday night with The Associated Press.
The CDC said private manufacturers shipped a record 155.3 million doses of the flu vaccine for the 2017-18 season through February 23, 2018.
In recent years, flu-related deaths have ranged from about 12,000 to 56,000.
According to the CDC, the 2017-18 flu vaccine against both influenza A and B viruses was estimated to be about 40-percent effective.
Based on national methods, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates between 250 and 1,100 residents die annually from complications of the flu.
Last fall and winter, the United States went through one of the most severe flu seasons in recent memory. The season was driven by a kind of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths, particularly among children and the elderly.
The official start of the 2018-19 flu season is the week beginning September 30. Massachusetts public health officials reported seeing confirmed flu cases all summer, but said the numbers were small.
The CDC suggests everyone six-months and older should get a flu vaccine each season, ideally by the end of October.
Getting vaccinated after the deadline is still beneficial. In the past, the virus has lingered as late as May.
The sooner you get vaccinated, the better though. It takes two weeks to develop the antibodies needed to protect against infection.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.