Record-low flu vaccinations lined up with record-high flu deaths last year

Getting a shot. — (Image credit: iStock)

The flu killed more Americans last season than any in recorded history — and it's likely because people didn't get vaccinated.

Just 37.1 percent of American adults got a flu vaccine in the 2017-2018 flu season, the lowest rate since 2010-2011, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports released Thursday show. That could be why 49 million people got the disease and a record 79,000 people died from it last season, The Washington Post reported.

Last year's leading flu strain was particularly resistant to vaccines and especially harsh on young and old people. But a 6.2 percent drop in vaccinations from the previous season could've also driven higher death rates, a CDC flu expert tells the Post. The low vaccination rate could've stemmed from reports early in the season that suggested the vaccine wasn't effective, which turned out to be wrong, the expert says.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

The CDC started recording flu deaths in the 1970s, and the highest number of deaths before last year was 56,000, in 2012-2013. This year, as always, the CDC is recommending vaccination at the best way to prevent the disease. Check out more recommendations for fighting the flu here.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.