US: Summer flu, fall headaches?

As college students begin leaving for summer vacation, the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is cropping up on a surprising number of campuses across America, write Stephanie Lee and Ben Eisen for Inside Higher Ed. Some national experts say the trend could be an ominous sign for students and health centres in the Autumn, when flu season traditionally intensifies.

"If we continue to see outbreaks of H1N1 during the summer, we should prepare for having a lot of influenza in the fall, and that's going to put significant pressure on health services on campuses across the country to respond," said Anita L Barkin, director of student health services for Carnegie Mellon University. The earlier 'outbreak' of H1N1 began in late April. Some colleges suspended classes and events as a precaution, even though actual cases were few and generally mild. As of 30 May , there have been more than 13,000 cases and 27 deaths confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site