The number of students reporting flu-like symptoms has decreased for the second week in a row, officials from University Health Services said Tuesday.
According to UHS, 94 UW-Madison students contacted them with flu symptoms during the week of Sept. 20-26, compared to the 168 students evaluated by UHS the previous week.
Those cases made up 7.1 percent of the total visits to the UHS primary care clinic, according to UHS.
According to Dr. Sarah Van Orman, UHS executive director, the cause of the decrease remains uncertain.
However, she said students seem to be more aware of the H1N1 virus and have been taking extra precautions to keep themselves protected.
""We are seeing that people are doing the right things with this, so I wouldn't discount that as a factor,"" she said. ""Students are taking it seriously.""
Van Orman said although it is difficult to predict the future of the virus' impact on campus, it is still possible another surge may occur.
She said it is crucial for students to continue to practice good hygiene despite the recent drop in numbers.
""We are still seeing more cases of the flu now than we typically see during our flu season,"" she said. ""So people should absolutely be aware that it's still there and that we need to continue hand-washing and staying home when they themselves are sick.""
According to Van Orman, a seasonal flu vaccine is now available free of charge for all UW-Madison students, and she predicts an H1N1 vaccine will be available within the next few weeks.
