Pandemic fears loom over flu season

Pandemic fears loom over flu season

Concerns over the seasonal flu, which sickens millions of people each winter, have taken a back seat this year to fears of the bird flu and the horrifying potential that it could evolve into a worldwide pandemic.

The seasonal flu kills about 36,000 people every year and sends 200,000 to the hospital, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But most of those cases involve people who are elderly, very young or weakened by another condition.

Pandemic fears loom over flu season