NEW ULM — Brown County Public Health Director Jaimee Brand’s quarterly update centered on an unusual flu season Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a historical flu season this year, with higher numbers than we’ve seen in many, many years,” said Brand.

She said as of March 22 according to the Minnesota Department of Public Health, there were 7,313 people hospitalized for the flu in Minnesota since Jan. 1. That’s double the number for that time period last year and triple the year before that.

Brand there were two pediatric influenza-associated deaths among 336 Minnesota flu deaths so far with an average age of 79.

She said state flu hospitalizations have been trending down since Feb. 10.

Brand said Minnesota’s 2025 flu vaccine effectiveness rate was 36% for adults and 32% for children.

“We’d like to see 45% effectiveness rates,” she said.

Brand said respiratory snycytial virus (RSV) exists but numbers are relatively low; as were COVID numbers. Last week the statewide COVID illness average was 0.5 per 100,000 persons. Brown County did not record any COVID hospitalizations yet this year.

HPAI (bird flu), a very contagious and often deadly respiratory poultry disease has not been detected in Brown County this year.

Brand said one measles case was reported in Minnesota. As of March 20, there were 378 confirmed measles cases in 18 locations. She said 370 measles cases are related to a Texas outbreak that includes the death of a six-year-old child and 42 people hospitalized.

She said a number of vaccines not including COVID are available at Brown County Public Health.