Walgreens Flu Index Shows Southern States Dominating Flu Activity in January

Walgreens has released its January Flu Index report, which shows the southern markets with increased flu activity as New Mexico tops the list for the first time this flu season. Although flu activity has tapered off in the first few weeks of 2020, the final weeks of January showed a spike in activity.¹

The 2019-2020 Flu Index provides different categories for visitors to view, such as the Most Recent Flu Index and the previous year’s Index Time Lapse, to accurately depict each market area and territory of flu activity in the country.²

Using retail prescription data from treating influenza in Walgreens locations nationwide, the Walgreens Flu Index helps customers and health officials stay informed about flu activity in their communities.²

For the month of January, the top 10 states with flu activity were (in order): New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Nebraska, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Mississippi. When analyzing the top designated market areas (DMAs) with flu activity, the southern states continue to rank in the top 5, with Texas landing in 3 of the 5 spots.¹

REFERENCES

• Southern states dominate the Walgreens Flu Index Top Activity for January [news release]. Deerfield, Ill.; Walgreens Newsroom: February 5, 2020. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005186/en/Southern-States-Dominate-Walgreens-Flu-Index%C2%AE-Top. Accessed February 5, 2020.
• Murphy, Jill. Walgreens launches 2019-2020 flu index to monitor influenza activity. https://contemporaryclinic.pharmacytimes.com/news-views/walgreens-launches-2019-2020-flu-index-to-monitor-influenza-activity. Published October 25, 2019. Accessed February 5, 2020.