Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Flu Top Health Concern In U.S.

January 31, 2004

(CPOD) Jan. 31, 2004 - Many Americans were worried over influenza in 2003, according to a poll by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates released by the American Cancer Society and Trust for America's Health. 35 per cent of respondents say the flu epidemic was the top health concern in the United States this past year.

The anxiety over influenza was higher than usual last year, as the country had its first cases of the disease in early October, when many Americans had not been vaccinated. The flu causes fever, muscular pain, respiratory inflammation and intestinal tract irritation, and claims the lives of 36,000 Americans every year.

The possibility of a bioterrorist attack was second on the list with 19 per cent, followed by worries over West Nile Virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Mad Cow disease.

Polling Data

In your view, what was the top health concern for the United States in 2003?

Flu Epidemic

35%

Anthrax / Bioterrorism

19%

West Nile Virus

15%

Mad Cow Disease

13%

SARS

9%

Source: Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates / American Cancer Society / Trust for America's Health
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 911 American adults, conducted in January 2004. Margin of error is 3.3 per cent.

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