Flu Killed 20,000 In U.S. Outbreak

The flu season is all but over after a particularly deadly visit believed to have claimed more than 20,000 lives across the nation.

Outbreaks reached 38 states. The culprit was a killer strain called Wuhan, a Type A flu virus that is traditionally responsible for large epidemics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The government does not have a final death tally, said Nancy Arden, a CDC epidemiologist.

“In an average season, flu is associated with about 20,000 deaths. Based on the information we have so far, there will probably be more than 20,000 deaths this season.”

Most flu outbreaks this year were in nursing homes. The strain also swept through Europe and Asia.

The outbreaks peaked in December, followed by 10 weeks when deaths from pneumonia and flu soared above the government’s expectations. They accounted for 9 percent of all deaths nationwide for that period, compared to a six-week stretch in 1995 in which 8 percent of all deaths were pegged to the illnesses.

The CDC said 81 percent of the flu viruses sent to its labs between September and April were Type A-Wuhan. Nineteen percent were Type B viruses, which cause smaller outbreaks.

Type B viruses were mostly to blame between February and April, which makes the CDC think they will circulate more widely next season.