Colleges Seeing Lots of Early Flu

[Crabtownboy]

Seems the flu season has already begun.

Flu has hit early and hard on campuses in the Washington region, spawning, at last count, 435 cases of flulike illness at the University of Maryland, 95 at the University of Virginia and several dozen at other institutions.

Mark Gonzalez, 21, a junior at U-Md., woke up on the second day of classes with a racking cough and a fever that hovered around 101, even with Tylenol. He went to the campus health center the next day and tested positive for Type A flu, meaning he had probably contracted the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu.

He was issued a surgical mask and sent home.

"It had to be 10 times worse than the regular flu," Gonzalez said. "It was not pleasant at all."

Swine flu appears to have spread to most of the country's colleges and universities. A weekly survey by the American College Health Association found influenza-like illness at 72 percent of schools surveyed as of Sept. 4. The flu is being contracted at a rate of about 18 cases per 10,000 students.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Seems the flu season has already begun.

And most of it is H1N1...seasonal flu has yet to get underway.

 

[Johnv]

Not particularly unusual. Flu cases begin an upswing at the beginning of September, peaks around mid-November, and maintains that peak until mid April. It then downturns until about mid June. Then, in September, it happens all over again.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Not particularly unusual. Flu cases begin an upswing at the beginning of September, peaks around mid-November, and maintains that peak until mid April. It then downturns until about mid June. Then, in September, it happens all over again.

True, but again that is seasonal flu.

 

[billwald]

Colleges but not communities? Maybe your government is using the colleges for secret tests of biological warfare techniques and substances. It is almost a routine activity for our secret govt.

 

[rbell]

Colleges but not communities? Maybe your government is using the colleges for secret tests of biological warfare techniques and substances. It is almost a routine activity for our secret govt.

So...all the dirty dishes in the men's dorms: those are biological weapons, placed there by the Taliban?

Thanks for the laff...