Flu activity has been declining across Ohio in recent weeks after a sharp spike in late December and early January, according to the latest flu activity reports from state and local health departments.

But health officials warn that the flu season, which can last into March, isn’t over yet and still poses a serious threat to the state’s most vulnerable residents.

“Almost every year, we see older Ohioans impacted more by the flu; the majority of our hospitalizations are those over 65,” said Tessie Pollock, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health.

Children also tend to suffer more during the flu season, Pollack said, because, like the elderly, their immune systems generally aren’t as strong as young, healthy adults.

In Montgomery County, a surge in flu-related hospitalizations at Dayton Children’s Medical Center contributed to an overall spike hospitalizations across the county last week, according to a report from Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.

The report showed 13 flu-related hospitalizations last week, up 225 percent from the previous week, even though emergency department visits for flu-like symptoms declined by 3-5 percent over the same period.

“Last week we had more admissions than we’ve had in the past,” said Terrie Koss, an infection preventionist at Dayton Children’s, who noted that number of confirmed pediatric flu cases has remained elevated since the flu season peaked.

“Our highest numbers were in December, right around Christmas,” Koss said. “Then we dropped a little bit, but we stayed there.”

Officials at the Greene County Combined Health District have seen a similar trend over the past several weeks.

“We’re certainly not as busy as we were in mid-January, thank God, but the flu is still here,” said Amy Schmitt, a staff nurse in charge of communicable disease reporting for Greene County. “We’re still seeing hospitalizations, especially among the children.”

The health department has recorded five flu-related hospitalizations so far this month, compared to 18 in January and 10 in December, Schmitt said.

Further south, Butler County health officials are breathing easier after a fierce battle with the flu that peaked at least a month earlier than normal, said Jenny Bailer, nursing director at the Butler County Health Department.

“Overall, the reports of flu activity coming across our fax machine are way, way down,” Bailer said.

Statewide, the flu is still considered widespread, meaning it’s still present in most parts of the state.

But there are signs the season has begun to wane, said Pollock, who noted there were 170 flu-related hospitalizations last week, down 12 percent from the previous week and the fourth week in a row in which hospitalizations were down.

“It looks as though we have passed the peak of the flu season,” Pollock said. “We could always have a secondary spike in the season because the flu is unpredictable. But for the most part, we think the worst is over.”