National Influenza Vaccination Week – December 6, 2026

History of National Influenza Vaccination Week

Has any of your grandparents ever mentioned the Spanish Flu? Also known as the 1918 Influenza pandemic, the Spanish Flu was one of the deadliest flu outbreaks in human history. Caused by the H1 N1 influenza virus, the disease spread across the globe, toward the end of World War I. The earliest case of the flu was detected in military personnel in Kansas, March 1918.

The Spanish flu infected almost one-third of the world’s population, in four successive waves. It recorded a high death toll, ranging from 25-50 million worldwide, killing 675,000 people in the U.S. alone. The high mortality rate among young adults, between the ages of 20 and 40, was a remarkable feature of the influenza pandemic.

Although vaccination against influenza began in the 1930s, it was only until 1945 that it saw widespread availability among civilians in America. One of the lead researchers of this vaccine was Dr. Jonas Salk, who is best known for developing the polio vaccine in the 1950s.

The U.S. still witnesses tens of thousands of deaths caused by influenza each year. Flu can affect anyone, but those at a higher risk are the aged (65+), little children, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses. An infected person can pass it to someone at a high risk of severe illness, including babies younger than 6 months, who are too young to get a flu vaccine. To prevent this spread, the Advisory Committee of C.D.C. urges every individual to get vaccinated, including people in good health. Let’s celebrate National Influenza Vaccination Week as responsible citizens and continue the flu vaccination season, in order to protect as many people as possible.