80,000 Americans Died of the Flu Last Winter

About 80,000 people died of flu-related deaths in the U.S. this past winter, the highest death toll of the disease in “at least four decades,” the Associated Press reports. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu-related deaths ranged from 12,000 to 56,000 in recent years—but last fall and winter were reportedly one of the most “severe flu seasons.” The AP reports the last flu season was driven by the “kind of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths,” particularly in young children and older adults. The flu vaccine also was also reportedly not every effective. The CDC said that while the 80,000 figure is preliminary, it is “not expected to go down.” Flu complications that can cause deaths include pneumonia, strokes, and heart attacks.