Austin public schools saw a rise in illness from influenza a week ago, said Shaylie Meyer, supervisor of school health services, but it does not seem to be an unusually heavy outbreak, she said.

“We’re on a downward trend,” she said. “It seems we are holding our own.”

The number of ill students rose over the 5 percent threshold a week ago – at 5 percent, the number is just over 250 students — a point at which Meyer must report  to the Minnesota Department of Public Health. But that has since fallen back down to under the 5 percent level.

Surveillance indicators for the state show widespread geographic spread of influenza. Since the start of the influenza season, one pediatric influenza-related death has been reported.

Still, she cautioned, while the outbreak here does not seem as severe as in some other areas of the country, this is most likely just the first wave of the flu. Normal seasons usually have two, she said.

“If you were to ask if we were out of the woods with the flu, I would say, absolutely not.”

She added the arrival of the first and second waves vary from year to year.

“I guess the one sure thing we can predict about the flu is that it is unpredictable,” she said.

School faculty and staff are taking additional precautions to guard against the spread of the flu.

Flu is defined as a fever of 100 degrees or greater accompanied by a cough or sore throat not normally caused by another condition.

Staff have stepped up the cleaning of the schools.

Teachers are re-emphasizing ways to reduce the spread of germs — children watch videos on the correct way to cover a cough and the need for hand washing — and keeping parents informed and updated on the spread of the flu. Parents are urged to keep children home if they suspect the flu.

The majority of local cases have come from the elementary level — also no surprise, said Meyer.

The combination of activity level and a younger student’s understanding of how the flu spreads make it more likely that the younger children may be more susceptible.

Meyer urged anyone who has not received a flu shot to get one, which are available locally.