According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), flu season can begin as early as October and continue through as late as May. During that time, 15 to 60 million Americans become infected with the disease—a phenomenon that costs American businesses approximately $7 billion a year in sick days. Here, we crunch the numbers.
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132 million: Estimated number of flu vaccine doses available for the 20072008 flu season.
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36,000: Approximate number of U.S. citizens who die each year from flu-related illness.
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More than 50: Percentage of eligible children who don't get a flu vaccination.
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68: Number of flu-associated deaths of children reported to the CDC for the 2006-07 flu season.
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2: Average number of days between exposure to the flu and appearance of symptoms.
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50 million: Estimated number of worldwide deaths caused by the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic.
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500,000: Estimated number of U.S. deaths related to the Spanish flu pandemic.
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6: Peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for Johnny Rivers' Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu in 1972.
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2003: The year the nasal-spray flu vaccine, also know as Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV), was licensed.
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1 to 2 weeks: Average length of illness after contracting the flu.
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