Flu Cases Hit More Than Half of Campuses, Survey Finds

During the first few weeks of the new academic year, more than half of the 165 colleges and universities responding to a survey conducted by the American College Health Association have documented cases of the flu, which could include swine flu. As of the week ending last Friday, 1,640 cases of “influenza-like illness” had been reported, according to the survey, which will be updated weekly. One student had been hospitalized, and no deaths had been reported. The 165 institutions enroll more than two million students.

Update (9/4, 1:20 p.m.): The association has issued revised data that updates its initial report based on responses from additional colleges and universities, but the new data do not change the survey’s finding that more than half of colleges have students sick with flu. The association has reports from 189, not 165, institutions, representing 2.3 million students. Those colleges reported more than 2,000 cases of flu, three hospitalizations, and no deaths.