College-Health Group Reports First Deaths in National Flu Survey

The American College Health Association’s weekly survey of “influenza-like illnesses” on American campuses reported its first deaths today. The survey, which covers 263 colleges accounting for nearly three million students, does not provide a complete look at the incidence of the illness, widely assumed to be H1N1 or swine flu, and other campus deaths elsewhere have previously been reported. The association’s new report found two deaths and 6,373 new cases of the illness (12 requiring hospitalization) on 95 percent of the campuses, which were surveyed for the week ending last Friday. Nearly every state reported significant declines in the illness, a sharp reversal since a surge in flu cases last month. The report also registered continued frustration in delays at obtaining flu vaccine on campuses.