Text Size
Smaller
Bigger

Beer Pong Spreads H1N1 – Say College Officials

posted 02:12 AM EST, Wed October 14, 2009
-- filed under: | | | |
Beer Pong Spreads H1N1 – Say College Officials © Photo Credit: Yogma

With 21 students now infected, students at Rensselaer Polytechnic in New York State have been asked to stop playing the drinking game ‘beer pong’, which officials suspect may have spread the virus.

Health officials at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy New York have asked students to stop playing beer pong, after the drinking game was implicated in the spread of H1N1 between university students last weekend.

The college currently has 21 reported cases of swine flu, as well as an additional 7 students in isolation at present who are potential cases.

Beer pong is a drinking game in which players toss ping pong balls into the cups of opposing players. The virus is transferred from the hand to the ball to the cup – and then consumed, causing virus transmission.

The University’s health center has announced that H1N1 vaccines are scheduled to arrive at the school within weeks.

In addition to the direct transfer of the virus via drinking games, partying with excessive alcohol may increase a person’s general susceptibility to infection. Research earlier this year published in the journal BMC Immunology, indicates that a single session of binge drinking suppresses immune system function for about 24 hours thereafter.

Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category
Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Helpful Information
When Partying Gets Old: Growing Up and Changing
When Partying Gets Boring: Growing Up and Overcoming Ambivalence to Change © Adrianpua
There comes a time for each of us when we reflect on our lifestyle and see that it's time for a change. The New Year is the most popular time of year to do this. Start out 2014 by considering whether partying still matches the life you want today. Read Article
Prevention January 02, 2014 (1)
Intervention Tip #1 - Avoid Debate
Intervention Tip #1- Avoid Distraction and Don’t Debate © Cesarastudilla
Tips on running a successful intervention. Stick to the facts and avoid getting bogged down in debates about what’s true and what’s not. Read Article
Intervention June 15, 2022

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app