Flu Season Returns With A Vengeance In Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - Flu season is hitting a few weeks early this year in Colorado and it's expected to last into February. That has Denverite Ethan Newman stocking up on medicine in anticipation of a long winter.
"I've been just feeling kind of miserable the last few days," he said.
Newman isn't at the point of having to go to the hospital, but doctors at Denver Health Medical Center say they are preparing for a surge of flu cases. They say the strain of the flu that's currently going around -- H3N2 -- is particularly dangerous.
Every year the flu kills more than 30,000 people, and this year that number could top 100,000. At least 100 people have been hospitalized with H3N2 in Colorado in the the past few weeks.
"We may see more hospitalizations," said Denver Health spokeswoman Dr. Connie Price.
Price said this year's flu vaccine covers several strains of the flu, including H3N2. But she says that strain has mutated and is now resistant to the vaccine.
"That unfortunately is the one that's associated with the most severe illness," she said.
Health officials say the flu shot is still worth getting even though the vaccine is not a perfect match for this year's bug.
"There's some protection offered, and it's still worth getting," Price said.
Newman said he got a fever late last week, and that his boss was sick this week along with several other people he knows.
"I've just been feeling crappy," he told CBS4.
