Texas Leads the Nation in Flu Cases This Year
It was reported earlier this week that flu cases spiked across Texas the week before Christmas, but from a national perspective, it's even more severe than we thought.
According to Spectrum News, data collected by Walgreens indicates that Texas leads the nation in flu cases this holiday season. In fact, Texas metro areas made up 8 of the top 10 regions for flu activity, according to Walgreens. (Their stats are based upon retail prescription sales for antiviral medication.)
Below is the list of top 10 states experiencing high flu activity:
- Texas
- Arkasnas
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
And here are the top 10 regions. As you can see, East and Upper Central Texas seem to be the hardest hit.
- Tyler-Longview (Lufkin & Nacogdoches), Texas
- Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
- Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.
- San Antonio, Texas
- Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
According to CBS news, reported flu cases doubled this year, and that this year's flu vaccine was only about 10% effective.