Majority of the people will not be worried over flu at the moment since schools are still closed due to summer. However, that is not for long. Everyone around you will be forcing you to take annual flu shot, while they should also be taking one. Flu is a severe concern since it results in thousands of people getting hospitalized every year.

Authorities have not been able to arrive at a precise figure over the number of people, who lose their life to flu each year. Flu attacks in various strains and many times it is not even detected that the reason behind the death is flu. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released estimates, which suggest that annual death rate due to flu ranges from 3,000 to 49,000.

The reason behind discussing flu is that it is a constant factor in our lives. This threat has been present even prior to the formation of our nation and still continues to exist. Everyone comes in contact with flu, but majority of those who are affected by it include very young children and elderly people. In this context, flu is similar to gun violence, but with the only difference that we can combat flu.

It cannot be accepted as being unavoidable, to be able to ensure that we live with freedom and move around without apprehensions, along with the freedom to go to school and live in a particular type of surrounding as well as adopting the lifestyle of choice. We find solutions, execute them and if they are not successful, we find other solutions.

We tell again and again to people to wash hands and prevent visit to certain places when not well. Another solution is to make vaccinations available and pay for them. An addition to this we try concentrating on all flu strains since all are equally deadly.

A report published in Pocono Record revealed, "Seasonal influenza activity typically occurs between October and May, and peaks between December and February. However, influenza activity peaked noticeably late last season, in early March of this year."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months of age and older, with rare exception, and recommends receiving the vaccine as soon as it is available to help with prevention even before the season begins.

“There is general awareness of influenza among the public given its widespread prevalence,” said Dr. David P. Greenberg, Associate Vice President and Regional Medical Head North America, Sanofi Pasteur. “What is not well known is that influenza can be life-threatening and have a lasting health impact, especially for the most vulnerable populations.”

According to a report in NPR by Michel Martin, "There is no exact number of how many people die from the flu every year. It comes in different strains, and people don't always recognize that flu is the cause. But there are estimates: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says between 3,000 and 49,000 people die every year from the flu."

I am talking about it because in this way the flu is like gun violence, but with one significant difference: With the flu, we fight back hard. We refuse to accept it as inevitable — the price we must pay for living in a free and mobile society, for going to school or living in a certain kind of place, or having a certain kind of lifestyle.

There were also bigger discussions about why people were sending their sick kids to school. That led to legislation in some cities making it easier for people to stay home when they or their children are ill. The fixes were not and still aren't perfect. For example, there remain what I consider legitimate disagreements about how these efforts should be paid for and how they should be run. But it's a start.