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Lawrence County, Ohio (WSAZ) – You may think that this statistic is associated with cancer or heart disease, but we are talking about the flu.
Last year, we experienced the worst numbers in nearly a decade.
Experts say the time has come to protect yourself and your family.
According to CDC modeling data, 48.8 million people became ill during the 2017-2018 influenza season. The number is so high that it means that in a room with six of your friends, one of you fell ill.
But for many it was much more serious. There were 959,000 hospitalizations last year.
"Wow, I would never have thought that," said Tony Fox.
The flu was also responsible for about 79,400 deaths last season. It is four times the population of Ashland or Portsmouth, or nearly twice the size of Charleston or Huntington.
Ninety percent came from adults over 65 years old.
"It's terrible," adds Joanna Chapman.
This is why health departments want all those who can get vaccinated, preferably within five days, by the end of October.
"The time has come," said Angela Doyle, director of nursing at the Lawrence County Health Department.
This is especially true for high-risk populations: children, older adults, and people with chronic diseases.
Last year, only 37% of adults received the vaccine, down six points from the previous year.
A number of places in our area offer flu vaccines, including your doctor's office, your pharmacy or the health department, many of them with flu vaccination clinics. Offsite.
For the first time in three years, the nasal spray or Flumist is also an option for people aged 2 to 49 years.
Contrary to what one might think, most influenza cases were from adults aged 18 to 64 years old.
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