The US Flu Season Is Bad This Year, But Influenza Is Much More Deadly Around the World

The CDC is reporting that the 2018 flu virus has been one of the worst in recent memory around the United States.

“Influenza activity is still on the rise overall,” CDC’s acting director, Dr. Anne Schuchat said.

There have been spikes in deaths from this year’s flu, and due to the nature of the specific strain that is spreading, the flu vaccine hasn’t been as effective. This equates to more hospitalizations and deaths around the world. According to flu experts, this year’s vaccine hasn’t been as effective against this particular strain of the flu virus.

While the news has been focused on how severe the flu has been in the US, how deadly is the flu around the globe? We pulled country-by-country data from WHO, where available, to build the below map that highlights influenza fatality rate. Each country is coded to show how many people die every year from flu-related illness per 100,000 in population count.

While some countries are riskier than others when it comes to travel during flu season, the biggest fear of most travelers right now is being in public places like airports, or stuck on an airplane with someone infected with the virus.

According to our readers, the flu has directly affected some of their travel plans this year already, with many opting to avoid major travel hubs like airports in order to hopefully minimize their risk. Some have commented to us that they will continue on boldly with their travel plans, unfazed by the virus.

See the full country rankings below: