The flu has apparently peaked in Colorado, according to weekly surveillance numbers collected by the state Department of Public Health and the Environment.
During the last two weeks, the percentage of flu tests that turned out positive has been declining, said Ken Gershman, an epidemiologist and communicable-disease specialist with the state health department.
It’s useful to know that this is probably the worst it’s going to get this season,” Gershman said. “It’s probably downhill from here.”
Flu hit Colorado first among all states this year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it headed across the state from west to east, Gershman said.
The eastern part of the state, he said, could still experience some flu for a few weeks, but the annual virus is probably on its way out.
If so, Gershman said, the state will probably end up with 700 to 800 flu hospitalizations by the end of the season, more than last season, a mild one for flu, with just 364 hospitalizations.
The winter of 2005-2006 had 848 flu hospitalizations, according to state statistics, and 2004-2005 had 980.
The winter of 2003-2004 was the worst recent flu season, Gershman said, and it was that winter that triggered state officials to begin tracking hospitalizations.
Katy Human: 303-954-1910 or khuman@denverpost.com
