Influenza virus was the cause of the flu pandemic of 1918 that killed over 20 million people world-wide, and different variants continue to cause new epidemic flu outbreaks every year that threaten the health and livelihoods of many. The Centers for Disease Control and Intervention (CDC) estimate that influenza has resulted in between 9 million and 45 million illnesses, 140,000 and 810,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000 and 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. Especially, people with chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems, pregnant women, people 65 years and older, and children younger than 5 years old are at risk.
