Colorado Flu Levels Even Out, But Still High: CDC

COLORADO – Flu activity continues to increase in the United States as the disease is now widespread in all but five states. According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 24 children have died from flu-related causes during the ongoing flu season. One child died in Colorado.

In Colorado, 1,548 people have been hospitalized so far during the 2018-19 flu season, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said. There have been 18 influenza outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state.

The H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) continues to be the predominant strain in most of the country while the H3N2 virus has predominated in the Southeast. FDA Director Scott Gottlieb has said that the H1N1 strain tends to peak late in the season but that the vaccine has a 60 percent effectiveness or more against it.

Early estimates from the CDC found that by mid-November 2018, 45.6 percent of children aged between 6 months to 17 years old had been vaccinated against the flu, an increase of 6.8 percent compared to early estimates from the previous season. For adults 18 and older, the CDC’s estimates showed that by mid-November, 44.9 percent had been vaccinated against the flu, an increase of 6.4 percent compared to early estimates from the previous season.

The latest figures released by the CDC on Friday are current for the week of January that ended Jan. 26. Between Oct. 1, 2018 through Jan. 26, the CDC estimates that there have been between 10.1 million to 11.7 million flu illnesses in the United States, 4.7 million to 5.6 million flu-related medical visits and between 118,000-141,000 flu hospitalizations.

While Colorado's flu-level is high, we are one of the only states not reporting widespread flu activity. Others include Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska and Hawaii. The geographic spread of flu activity does not measure the severity of the virus.

The CDC’s influenza-like-illness (ILI) surveillance measures the level of flu activity within a state. According to the latest ILI data, New York City and 23 states have high flu activity. However, the ILI surveillance does not measure geographic spread so the CDC cautions that outbreaks in a single city could cause a state to have high flu activity.

The flu can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The groups most at risk are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

You can use the CDC’s flu vaccine finder to locate a pharmacy or clinic near you that provides the vaccine:

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (Though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

By Patch Staffer Feroze Dhanoa

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