Vaccine Times: Flu kills 602 Britons in 2010

Just a straight copy/paste from Vaccine Times.  I have highlighted the item of interest though.  Again, this is not some ignored nation in Africa, but one that is supposedly modern!

The 2010 flu season has left quite a mark in the United Kingdom. The UKs Health Protection Agency (HPA) reports that 602 Britons have died of it this past season. That makes it deadlier than the 2009 swine flu pandemic which claimed the lives of 474 Britons. However, the swine flu claimed the most lives this year as well, with a total of 562 deaths due to it. That lead to the majority of victims (415) being in the age group of 15-64. Forty-five of those that died were children under 14, and 9 were pregnant women.

Information on vaccination history was available for about half of the fatal cases and almost 75 % (229/307) had not received the flu vaccine this year. Among children, there were 25 reported deaths in those aged five to 14 years, 16 in children aged between one and four and nine in children less than a year old. A further 91 probable cases are still under investigation to confirm flu as the cause of death.

Hopefully you and your loved ones will keep in mind all these individuals as you have an opportunity to get a flu vaccine this year.