Metro

NY college: Can drinking games during flu season

TROY, N.Y. — Medical officials at an upstate New York college want students to close the tap on drinking games to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Officials at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy says several cases of the H1N1 infection have been linked to sharing cups during games such as beer pong.

The director of the college’s health center sent a message to RPI students and staff warning against playing drinking games after a group of students contracted swine flu during a weekend of socializing.

RPI has reported 21 cases of swine flu, including seven students who are in isolation rooms on the school’s campus.

RPI officials say the college expects to offer swine flu vaccinations within the next few weeks.