Health officials report flu cases on the upswing

Flu protection
Floyd Joyce decided to get a flu shot Friday afternoon at the Cub Foods store in Brooklyn Park. State health officials are reporting that flu cases are on the upswing in the state.
MPR Photo/Toni Randolph

State health officials say they continue to see more cases of the flu.

The state Health Department is now categorizing activity as "widespread", after a couple weeks of regional activity. Jo DeBruycker with Affiliated Community Medical Center in Willmar, Minn., said flu cases are at their peak.

"Our numbers are probably the highest this week of the upswing weeks, and we're beginning to see spread into some of the aged population. But, by and large, it remains the population with the greatest number of cases is the younger population," explained DeBruycker.

DeBruycker said most people getting the flu did not get a flu shot.

Health Department officials said of the samples tested, 93 percent of the flu case strains are well matched to this year's flu vaccine.