Ryan Secrest told the American Idol audience last night that the country was suffering one of the worst flu outbreaks “in history.”

Dunno dawg, that sounds kinda pitchy, know what I’m sayin’? Let’s keep it real.

So far, 15 children have been hospitalized in Los Angeles County with the flu. And California has reported one death, of an Orange County child.

In 1918, a Spanish flu pandemic killed more people that WWI, some 50-100 million people (estimates have been raised in recent years.) In October of that year, 195,000 Americans fell victim.

One upside: crime rates in Chicago dropped by 43% as crooks were too sick to “work.”