Updated March 05, 2015.

Although it seems like this is going to be a very bad flu season, if you consider that even in a 'good' year the flu infects 10% to 20% of U.S. residents, hospitalizes 114,000 people for flu-related complications, and causes 36,000 deaths, the influenza virus would seem to be a good candidate for virus of the year.

Add in this year's early flu season, flu shot shortages, images of people crowding emergency rooms and standing in line for vaccine, and dozens of deaths in children, and the influenza virus would seem to be a clear favorite for virus of the year.

What the influenza virus has done in the past strengthens the case for virus of the year even more. The Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 was a global epidemic infecting one fifth of the world's population and killing 20-40 million people.

So my vote for the virus of the year for 2003 goes to the influenza virus.

Of course, there are many other viral illnesses that infect and kill people around the world, such as Ebola, hepatitis (A, B or C), RSV, rotavirus, hantavirus, rabies, measles, and of course HIV, but none of these have caused the fear and 'hysteria' in recent years as SARS, West Nile, and the flu has.

What is your vote for virus of the year? Take our poll!