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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the swine flu has been responsible for 11,690 deaths in the United States thus far. The number of deaths could actually be as high as 17,160, and as low as 8,330, but the CDC uses the midpoint number in determining the death toll.

The H1N1 disease caused between 880 and 1800 deaths among children who were 17 years of age or younger, while the number of deaths for senior citizens was between 1,060 and 2,180. Adults aged between 18 and 64 years accounted for approximately 13,000 fatalities.

The report also states that 378,000 people were hospitalized. 120,000 of these people were under the age of 18, 37,000 were senior citizens, and people in the age group of 18 to 64 years accounted for 221,000 hospitalizations.

The report is based on information gathered during the first 9 months of the pandemic, which was April, 2009 through mid-January, 2010.

The total number of people who have been directly affected by the disease is still unknown, as there have been many people infected who did not seek medical attention. However, the CDC estimates that the number is roughly 57 million, and suggests that the number of people infected could actually be as high as 84 million people. There are approximately 300 million people living in the United States today.

One of the biggest differences between the swine flu and the regular flu is that the regular flu often affects the elderly to a much higher degree among people, whereas the swine flu seemed to have spread more rampantly among young adults and children.

Swine flu cases peaked in October, 2009, and have been declining ever since. The CDC has cautioned that even though the number of H1N1 cases has dropped, there are still cases of people being hospitalized or killed by the disease. People should not assume that the virus no longer exists, and there could still be sudden bursts of the disease in the near future.

Many doctors have continued to persuade their patients in getting the H1N1 vaccine. The vaccine appears to be widely available now for those who wish to receive it. When the pandemic was at its peak in October, many states still faced shortages. With the number of cases leveling off, states are now able to keep up with the demand.