Photo by Stacy Neubeck Tiffany VanNostrand, LPN, administers a flu shot at Avera Marshall this week. State health officials say they’ve recently seen a spike in influenza-like illnesses at Minnesota schools. This season, the influenza B virus is showing up earlier than usual, the Minnesota Department of Health said.

MARSHALL — Flu season is picking up in Minnesota, with an earlier-than-usual spike in outbreaks at schools, the Minnesota Department of Health reports.

The MDH said influenza activity is now “widespread” in the state. According to MDH data, 60 schools across the state reported outbreaks of influenza-like illness last week. A total of 262 Minnesotans have also been hospitalized with influenza this season, and six people — all adults — have died.

This year’s flu season has also been unusual for the type of influenza virus that’s been going around, said Dr. Steven Meister, a family medicine physician at Avera Marshall.

“Normally this early in the season, we’d have a predominance of influenza A,” with the influenza B virus showing up more toward spring, Meister said. “This year, it’s flipped.”

In the past 15 days, Avera Marshall has had 43 patients who tested positive for influenza B, and six who tested positive for influenza A, Meister said.

Influenza is a viral illness that can cause symptoms like coughing, body aches and a high fever, Meister said. While influenza can have some of the same symptoms as a cold, he said flu symptoms come on fast, and can last seven to 10 days.

“You just feel horrible,” Meister said. Influenza can also make you feel lightheaded, or nauseated. However, Meister said influenza is not the same thing as “stomach flu.”

Influenza can be a serious illness, especially for children, elderly people, or people with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems, Meister said.

Many Minnesota schools have been hit hard by flu-like illness this season. Earlier this week, more than 300 students at Shakopee’s West Middle School were absent with flu-related illnesses or flu symptoms, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

The Minnesota Department of Health requires schools to report a flu outbreak when 5% of the student body is affected, or when three or more children with influenza-like illness are absent from the same elementary school classroom. However, it’s not always easy to confirm whether students have influenza, said Scott Monson, superintendent of Marshall Public Schools. Many parents call their child’s school when they are sick, but don’t mention a specific illness or symptoms.

The number of Marshall students affected by flu-like illness has varied among schools, Monson said Thursday. “We are certainly aware of influenza or influenza-like sickness in our schools, but the number of students impacted seems to be relatively similar to previous years,” he said.

Monson said West Side Elementary has had 30 to 40 students out sick in the past few days, with many reportedly from flu or flu-like symptoms. The number of students absent at Park Side Elementary with influenza or flu-like illness have ranged from 4 to 17 students this week. Two students with influenza have been reported at Marshall Middle School. While there have been students absent with flu-like symptoms at Marshall High School and MATEC, Monson said attendance rates have been pretty typical for the season.

In the region around Marshall, the number of absences due to flu-like symptoms has varied among school districts. Earlier this week, the Murray County Central school district had more than 100 students out sick, said MCC Superintendent Joe Meyer. MCC has a total student body of around 740, he said.

Attendance at MCC had improved Wednesday through Friday, Meyer said. However, he said, “We really encourage parents to keep kids home if they have any symptoms,” like fever and a cough.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton school nurse Bev Seehusen said there have only been two reported cases of influenza in the school district, but the district has had a lot of students absent due to stomach illness or symptoms like headaches and fever.

Only one case of influenza B has been reported among students at Lynd Public School, said Principal Jason Swenson. However, Swenson said the school has had students absent with cold or flu-like symptoms. Swenson said teachers and school staff have been taking proactive measures to keep classrooms clean and help prevent the spread of germs.

At Tracy Area Public Schools, there haven’t been many students absent with flu-like symptoms, said Superintendent Chad Anderson. “We have been pretty fortunate.”

Area school officials said they encourage students and families to practice good hygiene, like covering coughs and sneezes and washing your hands often, and keep kids home if they are sick.

“A sick student is going to struggle to learn and possibly cause other students to get sick, neither of which is desirable,” Monson said. “We want students to stay home when they are sick, especially with break coming up and a chance for everyone to get back to being healthy.”

If you have influenza, or flu-like symptoms like fever and body aches, you should stay home, Meister said. Getting vaccinated is also an important way to avoid getting the flu.

“It’s not too late,” to get a flu shot, Meister said.

Flu vaccines help protect against both influenza A and B, the Minnesota Department of Health said. While a person can sometimes get a mild reaction from flu vaccine, a flu shot won’t give you influenza, Meister said.

While antiviral drugs like Tamiflu can’t cure influenza, they can help reduce its intensity, Meister said. However, they’re more effective if a person gets them within 72 hours of the start of flu symptoms.