Colorado season has peaked

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.

State health officials say 3,360 people were hospitalized with the flu through Feb. 10. The state record, set in the 2014-15 season was 3,397.

The record likely will fall before the end of February, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.

“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.”

Based on hospitalizations, flu peaked in Colorado in the last week of December, with the majority of those cases being Influenza A.

While Influenza A cases have been decreasing since the peak, identifiable cases of Influenza B appeared during that same time after a slow start.

“One thing we have seen, Influenza B is holding steady, while A is going down,” Herlihy said. “That is pretty typical.”

Health department surveillance of the flu season officially began Oct. 1 and will run through May 26.

The predominant strain of flu that doctors are seeing, in Colorado and across the U.S., is a type of Influenza A called H3N2. The strain is associated with a higher number of hospitalizations, especially for older adults.

There have been 1,898 hospitalizations among people age 65 and older. Pueblo and Huerfano counties, the San Luis Valley, and the Western Slope counties of Mesa, Rio Blanco and Delta have been particularly hard hit.

The death of one child attributed to flu 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 the 2016-17 season, 54 people died of influenza, according to state data.

Despite declining numbers at this point of the current season, Coloradans 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.”