Alabama's college flu rates 2nd in the U.S.

Colleges and universities in Alabama are being hit harder by the flu than schools in any other state except Washington, according to a weekly survey of college administrators. Nearly all confirmed cases in Alabama are the new H1N1 flu.

The American College Health Association survey found 119 new suspected flu cases per 10,000 students in Alabama last week. The national rate was 25. Only Washington, with 130 new cases per 10,000 students, was hit harder.

Dr. Don Williamson, Alabama's state health officer, said colleges in the state are being hammered by the flu primarily because students in the Southeast typically go back to school earlier than students in other regions. More time together on campus means a higher rate of infection.

"Right now Alabama is the epicenter of H1N1," he said. "I'm not surprised that our state's rate is high. I'm surprised other states' rates are low."

Among surrounding states, Georgia had the next highest rate of new cases on campus last week, with 57 new cases per 10,000 students.

It wasn't immediately clear which Alabama campuses had reported the jump in flu cases. Officials with colleges and universities contacted Wednesday afternoon said they had significant numbers of sick students, but had seen no dramatic increase.

Deedie Dowdle, a spokeswoman for Auburn University, said the school was seeing 10 to 20 new cases a day, a number that has been consistent all semester.

Cathy Andreen, a spokeswoman for the University of Alabama, said solid numbers for illness at UA were not immediately available, but that health officials on campus report the number of cases there decreased in the last week.

The Health Association survey found 321 new suspected cases on campuses in the state last week, and a rate of new suspected cases that had more than doubled from the previous week. The survey does not include all colleges in the state.

On campuses nationwide, the survey found 7,696 reports of suspected new cases at the 267 colleges and universities surveyed. Among those schools, 243 reported new cases. Since the survey began Aug. 22, about 21,000 students have reported having the flu.