DENVER (KOAA) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed with News5 the first reported pediatric influenza-associated death of the 2026-27 respiratory virus season in an elementary-aged child from outside the Denver metro area.
State health officials said Friday there is no record that the child received the 2026-27 flu vaccine. The department did not release additional information about the child. The death comes as flu activity increases across Colorado, with hospitals reporting more positive flu tests and flu-related hospitalizations, according to CDPHE.
The state is coming off its most severe pediatric flu season on record. During the 2025-26 season, Colorado recorded 5,931 flu-related hospitalizations, the highest annual total since the state began tracking the data in 2004. Of those hospitalizations, 1,169 involved children, and eight children died from the flu.
“Last year’s record hospitalizations were a sobering reminder of how serious the flu can be, especially for young children,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, Colorado’s state epidemiologist and deputy chief medical officer.
Herlihy urged parents to get their children vaccinated before flu transmission increases further.
CDPHE recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. Officials say it takes about two weeks after vaccination for full protection to develop. Flu vaccines are available at pharmacies, doctors’ offices, community health centers and local public health agencies. Most insurance plans, including Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus, cover the cost of vaccination. Free or low-cost vaccines for children without insurance are available at nearly 600 locations statewide.
More information about flu activity and vaccination resources is available through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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