Flu Burden Prevented by Vaccination

CDC estimates the impact of annual flu vaccination in the United States by calculating burden prevented by vaccination. CDC produces these estimates using a model that calculates the numbers of flu illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths prevented by vaccination using season-specific data on burden of disease, vaccine coverage and vaccine effectiveness (VE). Variations in these three factors can impact estimates of both the burden of disease and the burden prevented by vaccination from season to season. CDC uses the estimates of the burden of flu in the population and the impact of flu vaccination to inform policy and communications related to flu.