The cost of getting the flu: By the numbers

Flu season is underway, and with it comes all the sniffling, lethargy, muddled thinking, pain, and missed work days symptomatic of the most contagious time of the year. All those sick hours add up, and the intrusive virus has both health and "financial repercussions," says Aaron Levitt at Investopedia. Here, a look at the economics of influenza:

5 to 20

Percentage of U.S. residents who get the flu every year

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200,000

People hospitalized from flu-related complications each year

150 million

Doses of this year's flu vaccine produced in the U.S.

$35

Average cost of a flu shot

$87.1 billion

Annual loss to the U.S. economy due to influenza and its repercussions

$16.3 billion

Annual toll on businesses due to influenza. "In a shaky economy, that could mean the difference between being employed and applying for welfare," says Levitt.

70 million

Workdays missed by Americans last year due to the flu

$130

Average cost that an insured American can expect to pay fighting the flu

More than $100

Cost of seeing a physician without insurance

$100

Cost, without insurance, per 10-day dose of Tamiflu, a frequently prescribed anti-viral medication

$4.29

Cost for a bag of Halls menthol cough drops

$6.99

Cost for a three-pack of Kleenex

$6.99

Cost for a package of DayQuil Cold & Flu Relief

1 out of 3

Flu sufferers who end up spending between $250 and $1,000 on "recovery efforts"

Between 3,000 and 49,000

Flu-related deaths in America each year

Sources: Investopedia, Detroit News, Flu.gov, Walgreens, WBNG News