CASPER (WNE) — Influenza cases in Wyoming have experienced a “significant jump” in recent weeks, according to the state Health Department, as federal officials say the dominant strain of the disease is more likely to affect younger people.

To date, 32 children have died nationally from flu-related conditions and 4,800 people have died in total in the first three months of the 2019-20 flu season. The state Department of Health typically does not release figures mid-season, though exceptions — like pediatric deaths or particularly severe seasons — sometimes prompt officials to send additional warnings.

Kim Deti, a health department spokeswoman, said the agency “would refrain from predicting whether we are near the peak yet or from making an overall prediction on the season.” She added that Wyoming’s dominant iteration of the flu is a B strain, “which is unusual for this stage in the season.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated Wyoming’s flu activity as moderate, while a majority of the country is rated at the highest severity level. The agency added that nationally, hospitalizations and percent of deaths remain low. They attribute the mix of deaths with overall low hospitalizations to the dominance of the B strain, which is “more likely to affect children and younger adults than the elderly.”