Beginning today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will send text and email reminders to approximately 132,579 parents and guardians of children aged 6 months through 5 years old whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System show they may be due for their annual flu vaccine.
State health officials are working to increase flu vaccine uptake statewide since officials believe that this flu season could be more severe than we have seen in years.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show seasonal flu activity is elevated across the country.
According to the CDPHE, Colorado’s hospitalization rates are now ahead of the 2017-2018 flu season (the most severe on record). In some southeastern states, flu hospitalization rates are already at levels seen during the fall 2009 H1N1 pandemic.