36,000 vs 477

Seasonal influenza causes 36,000 deaths in the United States each year.

The H1N1 is a never-before-seen combination of human, swine and avian flu viruses, officials said. First detected in Mexico in February, it quickly spread around the world. The CDC had received reports of 477 deaths associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in the United States