Influenza occurs frequently in the autumn and winter seasons. The flu epidemic in the United States generally peaks between December and February of the following year, which is called the flu season.
During the 18-19 flu season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6.2 to 7.3 million people in the United States were infected with the flu during peak hours. About half of these patients were treated for the flu and 69,000 to 84,000 were hospitalized.
The 2018 flu season is one of the worst flu seasons in the history of the United States. More than 900,000 people were infected and hospitalized, and about 80,000 died.
For the flu season, flu vaccination is the main preventative measure. The map below is where the flu shot is currently available in the Chicago area. Data is from Chicago Data Portal.
Caroline Pan's journalism 