Jan 11, 2026
3 min read
Breast coverage in North Dakota is at a 25-year high, and Grand Forks County has seen 50% positive tests.
FARGO - Health officials say flu cases are increasing in North Dakota. It's affecting hospitals and clinics. It's faster and more severe than usual this season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking an increase in flu-like illnesses across the country, and about 8 percent of visits to health care providers have been classified as flu-like illnesses, the highest number in more than 25 years.
"We would say the flu season is going to start earlier and more aggressively," said Shawn McBride, an epidemiologist with Grand Forks Public Health.
Typically, flu cases don't spike until late January, McBride said, and this is a statewide outbreak.
"In North Dakota, about 44% of people who go to the clinic and get a flu test get a flu test. For Grand Forks County, 50% of our flu tests, so when people come in, they come back positive. So that's a very high turnout," McBride said.
He noted that if you have flu-like symptoms now, you probably have the flu.Type-A is the most common variant circulating this season.
In Fargo, Essentia Health's emergency department has a high number of flu patients.
“I looked at our emergency department numbers in Fargo over the last seven days, and we had 120 confirmed cases of influenza,” said Dr. Josh Honeyman, an emergency physician at Essentia. That represents 15% of total patient visits.
"I don't blame people for going to the emergency room, but often it's unnecessary and expensive, there are better options for care," Honeyman said.
Most people with the flu do not need formal medical treatment.Home remedies such as rest, hydration, over-the-counter pain relievers, and humidifiers can help.Honeyman recommends seeing a primary care physician for people who are older than 65, younger than 2, or have chronic medical conditions.He also recommends getting a flu shot.
“When we talk about influenza, the most important measure is there is no better cure than prevention,” Honeyman said.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 31, there have been 1,959 hospitalizations for the flu this season, and 31 percent have tested positive for the flu, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
