By Lori EhdeFlu season is reaching a fever pitch as schools, nursing homes and work places are affected by illness.In the past couple of weeks, Influenza A has been making it’s rounds in Luverne Public Schools."Kids that come down with it have a bad headache, then fever and cough, and they’re achy all over," said school nurse Deb Vander Kooi."They can come to school just fine, and they get the temp and the headache … so it hits quickly."As of Monday, 45 students were out sick, campus-wide (roughly 1,200 students), but at the height of the outbreak, more than 110 were missing in a single day.She said it started in the middle school Jan. 10, and then moved to the high school, and now the elementary school students are getting sick."There were 35 kids out today, so we’re not over it yet," elementary secretary Gail Jahn said Tuesday."There are still some pretty sick kids out there. Some are getting it twice, and some are getting over it and coming down with other things."Students typically miss three days, but in some cases students missed an entire week.Vander Kooi said one teacher on Tuesday had five kids missing from the classroom. According to one parent, her child had Influenza A and B and strep throat.She said the flu outbreak in school this year could be attributed to the vaccine shortage."Some families always go in for their shots, and obviously they couldn’t do that this year," Vander Kooi said."I don’t remember having it last this long in other years. I think it’s worse this year."Vander Kooi said she recommends students stay home 24 hours after they’ve had a fever.Hills-Beaver Creek schools also reported that student numbers are now leveling off after an outbreak there as well.Rock County’s flu outbreak is indicative of what’s happening statewide, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.Reports of influenza in the state have increased markedly in recent weeks and have come from all regions of the state. But, because flu season often peaks in March or even April, department officials are still encouraging people to seek a flu shot if it’s available in their communities.People over age 50, children 6 to 23 months, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions are especially urged to get a shot if they haven’t already done so.It takes about one to two weeks for a flu shot to become fully effective.People are encouraged to talk to their doctors about getting a shot, but local public health officials have no vaccine available at this time.The Minnesota Department of Health offers the following guidelines to avoid getting influenza:oDo your best to stay healthy. Get plenty of rest, moderate exercise and eat right.oStay home from school or work if you have a respiratory infection. Avoid exposing yourself to others who are sick with flu-like illness.oCover your nose and mouth with a tissue whenever you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve.oWash your hands often with soap and water, or with an alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizer.oClean surfaces you touch frequently, such as door knobs, water faucets, refrigerator handles and telephones.More information on influenza can be found at www.mdhflu.com.