Christmas has come and gone, but not the flu season.

People in the Minot area continue to come down with the flu, meaning we still need to be careful, especially when it comes to personal hygiene.

As recently reported, Trinity Health, like much of North Dakota, saw a spike in influenza cases as the holiday season approached and people were in close contact more frequently.

The biggest days at Trinity came Dec. 23 and 24 when about 15 cases were confirmed, said Sue Niebuhr, coordinator of Infection Prevention and Control at Trinity.

“We are definitely seeing a slight increase, and I expect that to continue, just because of Christmas and people visiting,” Niebuhr said at the time.

The North Dakota Department of Health reported 1,343 cases statewide through Dec. 21, up from 613 cases at the same time a year ago despite last year’s early start for the flu. The largest share of confirmed cases have been in Cass County.

The health department noted influenza case numbers rose sharply during the week ended Dec. 21. The 645 confirmed cases that week were nearly triple the cases from the previous week. The number of counties now seeing the flu also has increased, the department stated. Only seven of 53 counties had not yet reported cases.

One of the most often heard warnings about controlling the spread of the flu is to stay home if you are sick. That is especially important to remember when kids head back to school this week. It might be inconvenient to keep a child out of school a few more days, but if it is needed…

Think about other parents’ kids.