Walgreens launches Flu Index to help track flu incidence nationwide
DEERFIELD, Ill. — With flu activity just beginning to rise in many parts of the U.S. in the midst of the busy holiday travel season, Walgreens on Tuesday introduced its new Flu Index — a weekly report providing state- and market-specific information regarding influenza to help identify areas where flu cases may be escalating. The Index ranks markets and states experiencing the highest incidences of influenza across the country, as well as those showing the largest increases week-over-week.
Developed to serve as a resource for health departments, media and others at the local level to help drive consumer awareness and prevention within their communities, the Walgreens Flu Index is compiled using the chain’s weekly retail prescription data for antiviral medications used to treat influenza across Walgreens locations nationwide.
“There’s a growing need for timely information and reliable data sources throughout the flu season, and this weekly report can help alert health officials and the public in areas where flu activity is trending the most,” stated Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of retail and pharmacy operations. “With the ability to generate hyper-local data that’s as specific as a single zip code, the Walgreens Flu Index can become a platform to improve preventive health measures throughout the season, including immunization rates.”
This week’s Index shows that Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi currently have the highest incidence of flu among U.S. states, while Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas; New Orleans; and Tallahassee, Fla.-Thomasville, Ga. are the top markets for flu activity.
Each week, the index will list the top 10 states for flu activity; the top 10 markets for flu activity; the largest week-over-week increases by state; and the largest week-over-week increases by market.
For the week ended Nov. 29, the top 10 DMAs by flu activity were:
Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas;
New Orleans;
Tallahassee, Fla.-Thomasville, Ga.;
Houston;
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas;
Baton Rouge, La.;
Chattanooga, Tenn.;
St. Louis;
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and
Jackson, Miss.
For the week ended Nov. 29, the top 10 states by flu activity were:
Louisiana;
Texas;
Mississippi;
Alabama;
Georgia;
Florida;
Illinois;
Missouri;
Tennessee; and
Kentucky.
From Nov. 21 through Nov. 28, the top 10 DMAs by flu activity gains were:
Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas;
New Orleans;
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas;
Houston;
Baton Rouge, La.;
Chattanooga, Tenn.;
St. Louis;
Paducah, Ky.-Cape Girardeau, Mo.-Harrisburg, Ill.;
Atlanta; and
Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C.
From Nov. 21 through Nov. 28, the top 10 states by flu activity gains were:
Louisiana;
Texas;
Mississippi;
Alabama;
Georgia;
Illinois;
Missouri;
Kentucky;
Tennessee; and
Colorado.
Data for the Walgreens Flu Index is analyzed at state and geographic market levels to measure absolute impact and incremental change of antiviral medications on a per store average basis, and does not include markets in which Walgreens has fewer than 20 retail locations. The Index is not intended to illustrate levels or severity of flu activity, but rather, based on this methodology, to show which populations are experiencing the highest incidences of influenza within the U.S. each week.