Influenza, commonly known as the flu, brings substantial health and economic burden every year in the United States and worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu has resulted in 9-45 million illnesses, and 12,000-61,000 deaths annually in the U.S. since 2010. The total economic cost of influenza is estimated to be $11.2 billion per year in the country alone.
