Hospital admissions related to influenza-like illness have been twice as high this fall as they are in a typical flu season, Billings medical officials said on Monday.

And a typical Montana flu season does not begin until January.

Nearly 60 people have been admitted to Billings Clinic with flu symptoms since Oct. 11, said spokesman Luke Kobold.

Of those, about one-third tested positive for the H1N1 strain of influenza, and one-third tested negative. The others were not tested, Kobold said.

Many people who were admitted for the flu had underlying medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, he said.

A total count of flu patients was not available from St. Vincent Healthcare, but the hospital was caring for 12 people with flu-like illness - including three children - on Monday.

Its census of flu patients has hovered around a dozen for the past few weeks, said spokeswoman Jeanelle Slade. In early to mid-October, the number was closer to 18 flu patients at any given time.

Patients have been hospitalized for as little as a day and as long as two weeks, Slade said.

Nationally, hospitalization for influenza is more common than is normal and increasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The highest hospitalization rate is among children younger than 5. Healthy children and young adults have been surprisingly affected by the H1N1 strain.

Since Aug. 30, almost 18,000 Americans have been hospitalized because of the flu and 672 have died, according to CDC.

In Montana, 10 people have died from complications of H1N1 flu, according to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Ravalli County health officials reporting the county's first H1N1-related death, The Associated Press reported Monday.

Public Health Director Judy Griffith did not release the victim's name, age or hometown, citing federal privacy laws.

More than 99 percent of the flu cases reported to CDC during the last week of October were the H1N1 strain, a new strain of flu that was identified in Mexico in March.

A typical flu season begins in January and puts 200,000 Americans in the hospital. About 36,000 people die from the flu every year.

A state hotline is up to keep the public informed about the H1N1 virus. The new system will have information on upcoming vaccination clinics and the groups of people eligible to get the vaccine. The number is 877-701-8555.

Contact Diane Cochran at dcochran@billingsgazette.com or 657-1287.