BIDDEFORD — Southern Maine Health Care is reporting fewer cases of influenza than usual – as are health agencies statewide – but experts warn that the numbers could still go up as flu season extends into early spring.

Leslie Roberts, director of marketing and communications for SMHC, said this morning that the hospital saw two flu cases in the fall, and has seen none since.

“I would say it’s unusually low,” she said of those numbers.

That said, Roberts also cautioned that there is still “a ways to go” to get through flu season, and urged those who have not had a flu shot to get one – especially those at risk for developing complications from the flu, including children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

Cases are down in Portland as well. Experts there fear people are not taking the virus seriously, as the number of flu shots administered at city clinics is 20 percent lower than at this time last year, The Associated Press reported this morning.

Across the state, only 37 people have tested positive for influenza through Jan. 2, according to the AP. But spring outbreaks of the flu are known to occur in Maine.

Symptoms of influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Beyond getting immunized, Roberts said things such as frequent handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes help prevent the spread of influenza.