Ostroff says it may be because American doctors are counting milder cases, which appear more like a bad flu and less like pneumonia.

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Mr McCarney told police that night Millie was "dopey with a real bad dose of flu".

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Still, some people feel bad after a flu shot.

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If Edwarda had been given insulin shots, her bad bout with the flu likely would have been just that, nothing more.

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Dynex got a very bad dose of the flu.

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Inflation has already overshot the central bank's 4 percent limit for three straight months after bad weather and an avian flu outbreak drove up egg, corn tortilla, meat and bean prices.

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Bad tax shelters are like a flu virus.

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And regular flu can be bad enough.

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As for why this winter's flu season seems especially bad, Dr. Marr believes it is because of the particular strain of the virus, H3N2, which causes "stronger" symptoms, as well as an early start to the season.

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"I had a spell when I was doing really well but then I had a spell out with flu where I felt really bad, " he explained.

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"It's a worse than average (flu) season, and it's a bad year for the elderly, " Frieden said.

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