In these difficult economic times, healthcare must come to the front. From a socio-economic burden influenza has left its mark throughout known history. The massive death tolls and economic hardship is felt greatest in what world poorest countries but not limited to them. The 1918 flu that battered the world for a year left a wake of dead and a world scrambling to understand how and why. The burden that is thrust upon the world with each outbreak of influenza in deaths alone is unimaginable but the economic burden is all too clear. In the United States influenza accounts for 1-3 billion of the nations direct medical cost (Szucs, 1999). Losses due from lost earnings and future lost earnings due to death are a staggering 10-15 billion a year (Szucs, 1999). In a rough estimate about 9% of the world’s population will contract influenza infections each years with the greatest burden falling on children and elderly (Szucs, 1999). Moreover, as an investigation into the factors that make flu such a world issue it gets more and more complicated with more and more underlining social and economic burdens that the world faces as a whole. Influenza has become the equalizer of nations and no one nation is safe from the clandestine ever changing virulence. The burden is great and just how great will depend on the ability of our leaders to see this danger and plan for the next pandemic. Our economic systems growing pains in recent weeks should be a call to action to improve or nation’s healthcare system. Moreover, how flawed is our healthcare system will it fail when we need it most?

Szucs, (1999), The socio-economic burden of influenza, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 44, Topic B, 11-15