Move over Ebola, 'real killer' is coming

NEW YORK – As concerns justifiably surge across the United States over the first Ebola case that has been diagnosed inside America's border, experts say the public should be paying attention to a proven annual killer – in addition to the viral outbreak that arrived in the U.S. via an airplane from Liberia.

The real danger, they say, is the flu season.

Each year, depending on the severity of the influenza virus circulating that season, experts estimate somewhere between 4,000 to 50,000 Americans die of the disease, with 95 percent of all deaths occurring in people over 65 years old. An estimated 20,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized.

In preparing for the 2014-2015 influenza season, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has reported that as of mid-August seven influenza vaccine manufacturers are projecting that 151 million to 159 million doses of influenza vaccine will be ready for use.

TRENDING: Trump declassifies Russia-investigation documents

The CDC has announced that for 2014-2015, U.S.-licensed influenza vaccines will contain the same vaccine virus strains as those in the 2013-2014 vaccine, with the expectation that this season's influenza virus will roughly duplicate the experience of last year.

The flu season typically starts in the fall and peaks in January or February, though it can appear as early as October and as late as May.

Each year, approximately 5 percent to 20 percent of U.S. residents get the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications.

The CDC reported that during the 2012-2013 influenza season in the United States, influenza activity increased through November and December, before peaking in late December.

The CDC further reported that during the 2012-2013 influenza season, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) exceeded the epidemic threshold for 13 consecutive weeks spanning December 30, 2012, to March 30, 2013 (weeks 1–13).

The percentage of deaths attributed to P&I peaked at 9.9 percent during the week ending January 19, 2013.

According to CDC and National Health Service data, influenza is ranked No. 7 among the 17 leading causes of death in the United States.

A YouTube video produced by the Austin Diagnostic Clinic in Austin, Texas, gives specific recommendations regarding flu shots for the 2014-2015 season.

Watch it:

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than World War I, somewhere between 20 million to 40 million people worldwide, in what is widely considered the most devastating epidemic in world history.