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Severe Flu Season Hits Elderly Hard In Larimer County

LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) - More than 100 patients have been hospitalized with the flu in Larimer County since October, potentially making this flu season the most severe in a decade.

According to Larimer County health officials, two-thirds of those hospitalized with the flu so far are older than 70. A half-dozen nursing homes and assisted living centers have reported outbreaks.

An 18-month-old in Loveland died from the flu in early December. Doctors and medical institutions are not required to report how many adults have died from the virus.

Visitors to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland who may be sick are being asked to wear masks and use hand-sanitizer before seeing patients.

"We highly recommend that people that are sick, especially with flu-like illness, not come to the hospital to visit," Whitney Daum with the center said.

Most hospitals limit visitors and keep them away from the youngest and most susceptible patients during flu season anyway. What makes this year different is the early spike in cases, likely caused by a mutated strain of the virus.

At the Medical Center of the Rockies, doctors are treating one to four new flu patients every day.

"Right now, our quantity has been large for cases of hospitalized flu, but the severity of illness has been low in this area," Daum said.

In general, the virus can be transferred from up to six feet away from a cough or sneeze, and patients don't need to be symptomatic to spread the flu.

The best time to get flu vaccine is between September and January, but that doesn't mean the window has closed.

Health officials expect Strain B to peak later in the season, and this year's vaccine is likely to provide good protection from that strain.

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