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CDC: H1N1 Sickened 22 Million, Killed 4,000

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Nov 12, 2009 4:41 pm US/Central

CDC: H1N1 Sickened 22 Million, Killed 4,000

WASHINGTON (CBS News) ― Government health officials say swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April.

They say about 4,000 have died, including 540 children.

The startling new figures -- about four times higher than previous death estimates -- don't mean swine flu has suddenly gotten worse. Instead, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday called them a long-awaited better attempt to understand the virus' true toll.

The CDC now believes that about 98,000 people have been hospitalized in the first six months of the nation's swine flu epidemic, including 36,000 children.


"This comes down to an accounting issue," CBS News medical correspondent Jennifer Ashton said on the "Early Show" Thursday.

Ashton reported Monday after visiting the Center's headquarters in Atlanta that the CDC's death count of 1,000 was likely a gross underestimation.

"The Early Show" learned during its inside look at the government's battle with H1N1, the tracking system in place doesn't always give a full picture of the pandemic.

The numbers being reported are from flu model estimates - not the actual numbers, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, told CBS News.

"It's a little counter intuitive," Frieden said, "but the best way to estimate the total burden of illness is not to count the cases, but to estimate them based on the best available science."

Ashton said the current report of 4,000 deaths is in the "predictable range" and it's important to follow the trends more than the actual numbers.

Ashton pointed out, however, that things are very different when reporting pediatric flu deaths. She said states are required to document each case with the CDC, and every week the updated numbers are an accurate reflection of the entire country.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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