Colleges and universities in the Southeast have reported above-average rates of swine flu, says a survey from the American College Health Association.

The eight states that make up the region have an average of 48.6 cases of swine flu for every 10,000 students, led by Georgia's rate of 125.6 per 10,000, the second-highest in the country. The national average is 17.8.

But Washington has the nation's highest rate, 366.8 cases of swine flu for every 10,000 students.

Only nine states have rates higher than the national average, and six are Southeastern states in the survey's Region IV - Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Alabama and Kentucky are the only Region IV states with below-average rates.

The voluntary survey covered Aug. 29 through Sept. 4. It involved 236 universities and colleges across the country. The association wouldn't release their names.
Atlanta's Emory University made the news last week with what was being called "Club Swine," a dorm set up to quarantine students with flu symptoms.

The greatest number of Washington's reported cases come from Washington State University in the eastern Washington city of Pullman. The high numbers are hard to explain, said James C. Turner, president of the college health association. But university officials have speculated that the school's early start date, in late August, gave the H1N1 virus more time to spread.

Nationally, universities and colleges reported 7,002 cases of swine flu on their campuses, Turner said. Illnesses have been mild, with no deaths and just a handful of hospitalizations.


Region IV states reported 2,414 cases
Alabama - 32 cases, 11.9 per 10,000
Florida - 441 cases, 25.3 per 10,000
Georgia - 626 cases, 125.6 per 10,000
Kentucky - 47 cases, 7.3 per 10,000
Mississippi - 265 cases, 77.5 per 10,000
North Carolina - 608 cases, 49.4 per 10,000
South Carolina - 138 cases, 33.5 per 10,000
Tennessee - 257 cases, 58.5 per 10,000
.
States reporting the highest rates
1. Washington
2. Georgia
3. Kansas
4. Mississippi
5. Tennessee
6. North Carolina
7. Wisconsin
8. South Carolina
9. Florida
10. West Virginia

SWINE FLU 101
WakeMed Emergency Departments are already seeing increased volumes due to H1N1. A swine flu 101 session for the public will take place Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Christina B. Jones Theatre in the Fine Arts Center.

Robin Carver, RN, Director, WakeMed Infection Prevention & Control, and Peter J. Morris, M.D., WakeMed pediatrician and Medical/Clinical Services Director of Wake County Human Services, will present Flu 101 to help us prepare for the upcoming flu season.

Related Links

1. State-by-state Listing of Swine Flu Rates