This year's flu season was especially tough on the elderly.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the past flu season saw the highest rate of influenza hospitalizations among older adults in a decade. Since October, there have been 258 hospitalizations per 100,000 U.S. adults ages 65 and over. The previous record was in the 2012-2013 flu season, when 183 people for every 100,000 U.S. adults ages 65 and over were hospitalized for flu-like conditions.
Among all ages of U.S. residents, there have been 52 flu hospitalizations per 100,000 people this season, a higher rate than the previous three flu seasons. The CDC notes that the severity may be due in part to the ineffectiveness of this year's flu vaccine.
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The CDC still recommends people get the flu vaccine, though — even if you do catch the flu, your symptoms will be less severe, and you'll be less likely to require hospitalization.
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