TEXAS – Sneezing and coughing have characterized this holiday season, but that is no coincidence.

Texas is first in the nation for flu activity, according to the latest data from Walgreens.

Top 10 States with Flu Activity:

  1. Texas
  2. Arkansas
  3. Tennessee
  4. West Virginia
  5. Nebraska
  6. Iowa
  7. Idaho
  8. Missouri
  9. Oklahoma
  10. North Carolina

Using retail prescription sales for antiviral medication, the pharmacy giant regularly compiles an index showing areas across the U.S. with the highest occurrences of influenza.

Looking at individual regions, east Texas propelled the Lone Star State to the top of the flu activity rankings. The Houston-Woodlands region ranked fourth in the nation for regional flu activity. Most of east and south Texas took the top spots.

Top ten regions in the country for flu activity:

  1. Tyler-Longview (Lufkin & Nacogdoches), Texas
  2. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas
  3. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
  4. Houston, Texas
  5. Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas
  6. Corpus Christi, Texas
  7. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
  8. Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.
  9. San Antonio, Texas
  10. Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.