Flu season ramping up in Minnesota

[KARE 11, January 24, 2019] The new Minnesota influenza report shows outbreaks at schools are on the rise for the second week in a row. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), 30 schools reported outbreaks last week, up from 12 the week before.

The report comes after one Minnesota school closed because 20 percent of its students came down with the flu.

Allina Health infectious disease specialist Dr. Frank Rhame says kids are being hit the hardest this flu season probably because the most active strain so far has been H1N1, which he says is more likely to affect kids than seniors.

"The season is ramping up. It's still not quite peaked yet and of course influenza, it's not anything if it's not unpredictable, you don't know where it's going to go," Rhame says.