The influenza season in Colorado likely has peaked. But there’s still plenty of flu going around, and the state is on a record-setting pace.
Through Sunday, Feb. 10, the total number of Coloradans hospitalized with influenza this 2017-18 season is 3,306, according to the state Department of Public Health and Environment. The state record for influenza hospitalizations came in the 2014-15 season, with 3,397.
The record likely will fall before the end of February, said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist.
“We are on track to surpass the greatest number of hospitalizations we have on record,” she said. “By next week’s report, or the following report, we’ll surpass that.”
The flu in Colorado, based on hospitalizations, peaked in the last week of December, with the majority of those cases being Influenza A.
While Influenza A cases have been decreasing since peaking around the start of the new year, identifiable cases of Influenza B appeared during that same time after a slow start. Health department surveillance of the flu season officially began Oct. 1 and will run through May 26.
“One thing we have seen, Influenza B is holding steady, while A is going down,” Herlihy said. “That is pretty typical.”
The predominant strain of flu that doctors are seeing, in Colorado and across the country, is a type of Influenza A called H3N2. The strain is associated with a higher number of hospitalizations, especially for older adults.
Particularly hard-hit areas in Colorado include Pueblo and Huerfano counties, the San Luis Valley and Western Slope counties of Mesa, Rio Blanco and Delta, according to the latest data. Flu in Colorado has hit the 65-plus age group the hardest, with 1,898 hospitalizations.
The death of one child, associated with influenza A, has been reported this season with an onset of illness during the the week ending Dec. 30.
Flu generally kills a few dozen people in Colorado each year. In 2016, the most recent year for which numbers are available, 54 people died of influenza, according to state data.
Coloradans, despite overall declining numbers at this point of the current season, should remain vigilant about avoiding the flu.
Good health practices include avoiding contact with people who are sick; staying at home when sick, instead of going to work; covering your nose and mouth when sneezing; washing your hands often; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
“Get the vaccine if you haven’t yet,” Herlihy said. “There’s still quite a bit to come.”