Valley has highest rate of flu in the nation this January, report says

The cities with the highest rate of flu activity in the nation the first week of January were all in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the Walgreens Flu Index.

The proprietary index gauges the geographic incidence of flu based on weekly prescription data for influenza antiviral medications across the pharmacy’s locations across the United States, including Puerto Rico.

The top market for flu activity for the week of Jan. 4, according to the index, was Brownsville-Harlingen-McAllen-Weslaco. Two other Texas markets were in the top 10 for flu activity nationwide: Beaumont/Port Arthur and El Paso/Las Cruces (New Mexico), according to Walgreens.

U.S. map of influenza activity. (TNS)

Overall, Texas was ranked seventh nationally in terms of flu activity, according to the index.

Frances Colon, a Walgreens pharmacist in Brownsville, said index levels for Texas are normally consistently high during flu season, with rates around 1.8 times the national average. The state’s flu activity first began to spike the week of Dec. 14, she said.

It’s not unusual for the Rio Grande Valley to take an early lead in cases as flu season gets underway. One big factor isn’t exactly a secret: families in South Texas like to gather in large numbers during the holidays, Colon said.

“You have people that are sick and they don’t know that they are sick,” she said.

While Walgreens index showed a “significant uptick” in flu cases for the Valley, flu activity was still relatively mild, and COVID-19 positivity rates were also low, during early January, according to the company.

Still, a number of public health experts are warning of a potential “quad-demic” this winter — a four-way epidemic involving influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus.

“That’s the reason that it’s extremely important that people take the necessary precautions to protect themselves,” Colon said. “That’s the reason that we keep telling people get your flu shots, get your COVID shots. And for those that are 60 and over, to get their RSV vaccine.”

A view of Walgreens Pharmacy offering immunization shots in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV kills 6,000 to 10,000 older adults each year and puts another 60,000 to 160,000 in the hospital.

While getting vaccinated doesn’t guarantee you won’t come down with a virus, it will reduce the severity of symptoms, she said.

“Those symptoms are going to be milder compared to not receiving a vaccine at all,” Colon said.

Walgreens offers COVID vaccinations, the cost of which is covered by all private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and free flu shots for everyone 3 and older. RSV is recommended for eligible people 60 years and older. Customers can walk in or schedule an appointment to get vaccinated through the Walgreens website or app, or by calling (800) 925-4733.

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