CDC finds cases, related hospitalizations and deaths highest among 18 to 64 year olds
MONDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided updated estimates of the 2009 H1N1 cases, related hospitalizations and deaths, with approximately 57 million cases occurring between April 2009 and January 2010.
In addition, the CDC estimates that as many as 257,000 individuals were hospitalized due to the 2009 H1N1 flu during April 2009 and January 2010, and up to 11,690 people may have died from the virus during that time period.
The highest number of 2009 H1N1 cases were among individuals aged 18 to 64 years (approximately 33 million), followed by those 0 to 17 years of age (approximately 19 million). Adults over the age of 65 years comprised the lowest number of cases (approximately five million). In addition, 2009 H1N1 hospitalizations were highest for individuals aged 18 to 64 years, with approximately 150,000 people hospitalized due to the illness, and almost 9,000 related deaths during the time period. Children and teens aged 0 to 17 years experienced approximately 82,000 related hospitalizations and 1,230 related deaths. H1N1-related hospitalizations and deaths were lowest for individuals 65 years and older (approximately 25,000 hospitalizations and 1,480 deaths).
"The estimated ranges generated by this methodology provide a sense of scale in terms of the burden of disease caused by 2009 H1N1," according to the Feb. 12 update by the CDC. "This methodology is not predictive and cannot be used to forecast the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths that will occur going forward over the course of the pandemic because they are based on actual surveillance data."
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