Don’t forget to wash your hands and cover your coughs as we head into the busiest holidays — flu season is in full force, sending more than three times the number of people to the hospital than usual.
So far this season, 566 people have been hospitalized for influenza in Colorado, compared with the 150 cases typically logged by mid-December, state health officials say. Conversely, norovirus outbreaks have been light.
“We’re seeing a pretty severe influenza season so far,” state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said. “We’re having roughly three times the usual number of cases at this point in the year.”
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint what is causing the high numbers, Herlihy said the Southern Hemisphere had a similarly severe influenza season, so international travel could impact Colorado. Additionally, there have been several cases of a strain particularly harmful to older adults, who are more likely to be hospitalized.
The flu season in the U.S. starts Oct. 1 and lasts through April. Last year, 3,340 people were hospitalized in Colorado and two children died. The state tracks the flu through influenza-like illnesses at clinics and hospitalizations, and through pediatric deaths. No child has died so far.
Herlihy said it’s difficult to predict what will happen in the next couple of weeks or months, noting that the high levels could drop off quickly or continue for a while.
The norovirus — a 24-hour gastrointestinal illness that leads to vomiting and diarrhea — has a shorter season, typically spanning November and December. So far, there have only been 25 reported outbreaks when normally there are anywhere between 30 and 100, said Nicole Comstock, a communicable disease epidemiologist with the state.
“I’ve heard a lot of anecdotal reports like, ‘It seems like a bad year,’ ” she said. “But our outbreak data isn’t really reflecting that.”
But Comstock said that could change by the end of the month. The norovirus is incredibly contagious and tends to spread during the winter, when more people are gathered in close quarters indoors.
Despite the holiday temptations, Herlihy and Comstock said people with symptoms of the flu or norovirus should isolate themselves, opting out of group activities and staying away from food preparation. It’s also important for people to wash their hands and get the flu shot. (It’s not too late.)
If someone with the norovirus vomits in a public place, cleaning it with common disinfectants won’t be effective and the virus will stick around for weeks. To properly sanitize, clean the area with a mix of a cup of bleach and a gallon of water.
