Flu-related illnesses kill four children

DENVER -- Three more children have died of flu-related illnesses in Colorado, bringing to at least four the number of influenza deaths in the state this season, officials said.

A 2-year-old and a 21-month-old died at the Children's Hospital in Denver in the past week, hospital officials said Tuesday. They did not release any other details.

In Larimer County, health officials said an 8-year-old boy died of the flu. Family members identified the Larimer victim as Joseph David Williams of Wellington, who died Monday.

"It happened so quick and so sudden," Joseph's father, Scott Williams, said Tuesday. "He was fine. He wasn't even that sick."

A 15-year-old who had the flu died at Children's last week and was believed to be the first flu death in the state this season.

That child and the 2-year-old had medical conditions that made flu especially dangerous to them, health officials said. The other two children had been healthy.

Last week, officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta warned that this flu season could be worse than usual, partly because this year's vaccine does not exactly match the strain doctors are seeing so far. The virus changes slightly over time which is why doctors suggest getting a new flu shot every year.

In an average year, the disease infects up to 20 percent of the U.S. population, killing about 36,000 Americans and hospitalizing 114,000.

Colorado has had 3,399 confirmed cases of the flu this season, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Tuesday. That included more than 1,100 cases reported between Thursday and Monday, the most dramatic surge in the virus in at least five years.

"It's crazy," said Denver pediatrician Dean Prina, who saw 40 children Monday. "It started earlier this year and seems more intense. It's among the worst flu seasons I've seen in my 23 years." Colorado, Texas and Nevada have the most widespread outbreaks so far, according to the CDC.

Officials said the actual number of cases is probably much higher than the reported number because most adults with the virus don't see a doctor.