Minnesota Flu Cases Expanding

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - Flu activity in Minnesota continues to ramp up, but unlike a number of other states, it is still not considered widespread. For a second straight week, the Minnesota Department of Health has categorized influenza activity statewide as “local.”

The Health Department received 39 reports of flu-related hospitalizations last week, compared with 28 the previous week. The total since the start of the flu season is now 130. There was only one report of a probable flu outbreak in a Minnesota school last week, but 5 long-term care facilities reported confirmed outbreaks.

Among Minnesota’s neighbors, flu activity in Wisconsin and South Dakota is also rated as “local,” while it has been upgraded to “regional” in North Dakota and remains classified as “sporadic” in Iowa. There are several states in the southeastern U.S. that are reporting “widespread” flu activity.