Pediatric hospitalizations due to the flu are the highest they've been in 15 years across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that 15 pediatric influenza associated deaths in early January bring the national total to 32. 90% of deaths have been in children who were not vaccinated for influenza. Here's Carrie Godes with Garfield County Public Health.
"We've seen a pretty bad year for influenza, especially among our pediatric population. But in Garfield County, we were looking back at our numbers and it's, it's. Pretty much double in what it was last year for the same time period. So we looked at the beginning of the season, which is we start tracking in about the end of September through January 27th. But we have had 41 hospitalizations this year. This is all ages, so not just pediatric for the numbers I'm giving you for Garfield, but 41 hospitalizations sent from September to now compared with 23 in the same time period last year."
Officials are expecting a second spike in influenza rates in February, and Godes says it's not too late to get the shot.
"So every year the vaccine of efficacy rates are a little bit different, and this year it actually does seem to be a fairly good match. We never seem to get it perfect and there is no such thing as perfect. But this year the efficacy is ranging between 72 and 75% for children. 60% for adults. That doesn't mean that you're not going to get the flu. It can, you know, maybe keep some people from getting the flu, but really what it's designed to do is keep you from having severe outcomes, which would be severe illness and death. So it lowers. Your risk for those things.
The vaccination rate in the county has recently risen from 24 to 25.8%. Godes says this is likely in response to the severe season. Garfield County Public Health offers the influenza vaccine during operating hours. More information can be found here.
