Educate-Yourself -

[Editor's Note: The deceit and disinformation you are about to read in this article are intended to keep the public calm. The Illuminati-controlled traitors who run the United States government are engaged in a game plan of treachery and national genocide unparalled in the course of human history. The virulence of the recent "flu" outbreak in Dec/Jan had much more to do with the government's continual sprayings of the skies across America (see Chemtrails) with pathogenic substances than any supposed "normal" flu outbreak.]

ATLANTA (AP) -- Despite what appeared to be a bad outbreak of the flu a few months ago -- with crammed hospitals nationwide leading to fears of an epidemic -- this winter's flu season was no fiercer than any other the past five years, the government said.

As the flu season peaked during the week ending December 25, many health professionals said it was the worst outbreak they had seen in a long time. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that 12,651 people have tested positive for the flu since October 3.

With the flu season nearing an end, the statistics are in line with those from the past five years. The actual number of people with the flu was in the tens of millions, but the CDC only tracks cases confirmed by tests. Of those, 99 percent had the type A Sydney strain, which has been the most common the last three seasons.

About 20,000 Americans die of flu complications every year. And the CDC said the death toll was probably about the same this year, though the agency is still studying that. In two of the past five years, 1995-96 and 1996-97, the season peaked in mid-December and January. Peaks in the other seasons occurred in February and early March.

Many people suffering from flu-like symptoms have been infected with some nasty germ, but probably not one of the four types of influenza, said Dr. Andrea Winquist with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases. Many common viruses and bacteria cause similar symptoms. People tend to use the word 'flu' for a lot of things," she said.

Alan Arvello, a physician's assistant in Amarillo, Texas, said the clinic where he works was filled from November to January with people complaining of the flu. He said many learned something else was causing their misery. "A lot of times, once we counsel people, they say, 'Oh OK, I didn't have the flu,"' Arvello said.

Bronchitis and pneumonia are two ailments that often resemble the flu and require hospitalization for many people. The CDC estimates 10 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu every season.