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The Iowa Department of Public Health says the number of school absences due to flu like illness is on the rise. This week 56 schools in 23 counties reported that at least 10 percent of their enrollment was out. IDPH Director Doctor Patricia Quinlisk says it isn’t surprising. She says the largest number of H1N1 cases have been reported in people between the ages of 5 and 24. Quinlisk says schools are a typical place where such viruses spread.