CDC responds to Hugh Jackman comment on flu shot

{mosads}The ostensibly sarcastic comment wasn’t funny to federal health officials.

“I don’t know if [Jackman] really meant that vaccination was not a good thing to do, but each year millions become ill with influenza, more than 200,000 may be hospitalized, and between 3,000 and 49,000 will die,” a CDC spokesman told celebrity news site TMZ.

“The first and most important step in protecting against the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season,” the spokesman added.

As of Friday, the flu had reached epidemic levels in the United States. Health experts suggest that everyone get a flu shot. This year’s vaccine is 62 percent effective, according to the CDC.