Evaluating Economic Credibility of Flu Season Impact Reports

Credible economic analyses of influenza season impact cite peer‑reviewed studies and data from authoritative sources such as:

• The New York Times (journalistic synthesis of CDC/academic data).
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working papers (rigorous econometric methods).
• IHS Markit (now S&P Global) industry forecasts and macroeconomic modeling.
• CDC FluView / WHO FluNet surveillance data.
• Published cost‑of‑illness studies (e.g., Molinari et al., Vaccine 2007; Putri et al., Lancet Resp Med 2018).

Key metrics: direct medical costs, productivity losses (absenteeism, presenteeism), mortality valuation (VSL), and macroeconomic GDP impact. Methodological transparency (counterfactual construction, sensitivity analysis) distinguishes robust estimates from speculation.