Residents of a certain southern state can be in happiness this flu season, because data shows that people who live are the least likely to get sick.
Researchers at Marian University in Indiana ranked 100 cities in America, where people come the most and the least probably with the cold – and three cities in North Carolina achieved the top 10, including one that was the first.
The team ranked the cities by analyzing scores and assigning it to various factors that are known.
All those scores were then added together and each city received a cumulative score, with a lower score that indicates what the researchers estimate is a healthier city and a higher score that points to a city that is probably susceptible to illness.
Wilmington, North Carolina was the least disease -free city on the list of a score of 28.
With 122,000 inhabitants, the researchers said that the low population density and the sultry could help dismiss germs.
Madison, Wisconsin and Honolulu, Hawaii suddenly followed behind with respective scores of 34 and 36. Raleigh, North Carolina and San Jose, California, complete the top five, both scoring 37.
On the other hand, Bakersfield, California was the germin city in the country, which blamed experts on low flu vaccination rates, poor air quality and a high population of adults with a weak immune system.
The researchers wrote: “Simple practices such as being vaccinated, maintaining good food and staying active can make a big difference to protect yourself against seasonal diseases.”
Researchers at Marian University in Indiana ranked 100 cities in America, where people are the most and the least likely with a cold or the flu this season (stock image)
Wilmington, North Carolina was considered the city where you are the least permanent on the basis of high humidity and healthy air quality
The rankings come as respiratory diseases, including the flu, covid and respiratory syncyteel virus (RSV), the US plague
Forty -four states experience high or very high respiratory activity.
According to the latest CDC data, the flu Americans are becoming the most difficult. Influenza -test position rose by 30 percent last week and hospital admissions rose to 38,250.
During the week of January 18, the flu accounted for 5.4 percent of the hospital visits. The following week that rose to seven percent.
The number of doctor's visits for airway disorders increased from 5.7 percent in the week from January 18 to seven percent the week thereafter.
The researchers said Wilmington, North Carolina earned the place for the healthiest city because of the low population density – the number of people within a specific area.
Having low population density means that there are fewer people in close contact with each other, reducing the spread of diseases in the air such as Covid and the flu.
Wilmington also has high humidity percentages, so that the nasal passages remain moist by increasing the production of mucus.
Without sufficient mucus, the nose passages become irritated and inflamed, so that the body remains sensitive to respiratory infections such as sinusitis.
The researchers also pointed to the clean air of the city. According to the American Lung Association, Wilmington has the lowest levels in the land of particles (PM2.5) pollution, microscopic contaminants that irritate the lungs.
Madison, Wisconsin was the second healthiest city with a score of 33.7.
At the 69 percent flu vaccination percentage of the city among older inhabitants, the researchers pointed an improvement compared to the national average of 58 percent in this population.
Moreover, only 3.5 percent of the population of the city is uninsured compared to eight percent in the US in general, which means that they have more access to preventive care.
Honolulu stands in third place for his warm climate, which helps the nose to filter out germs by increasing mucus production to capture pathogens and encourages residents to spend less time in close by.
Raleigh, North Carolina and San Jose, California, complete the top five.
The researchers mentioned the low percentage of adults of the southern city and reported the overall poor health and abundant access from San Jose to healthy food as reasons why residents of these cities could possibly avoid diseases.
On the other side of the spectrum, Bakersfield, California was crowned the sickest city in the analysis and scored 71.7.
The researchers mentioned poor air quality and dry air of the 413,000-in-law city as the primary reasons for the ranking.
According to the American Lung Association, Bakersfield was the worst city for particles and pollution from more than 200 metropolitan areas.
Bakersfield, California was the city that would most likely result in a cold based on poor air quality and dry weather
The researchers wrote: “The city also has a large number of adults who report poor or fair health and frequent physical need, both of which can be indicators for weakened immune systems and a higher vulnerability to infections.”
Mcallen, Texas, came to the second worst place, with a score of 70.9.
Sitting on the southern border with Mexico, Mcallen has a high percentage of adults without insurance.
According to a recent analysis, one in four adults in the area was uninsured in 2023. This may be due to the fact that one in five adults in the city lives in poverty, so that their ability to pay for insurance regularly would cover checks.
Uninsured life can prevent them from seeing a doctor for fear of making large medical accounts, and if they have underlying conditions, they can have a higher risk of getting sick.
El Paso, another border city in the southwest of Texas, was close behind Mcallen with a score of 69.7. Just like Mcallen, one in four adults in El Paso is uninsured.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Las Vegas, Nevada has completed the top five cities that are most likely a cold. The experts mentioned low humidity levels, dry temperatures and high population density for both areas.
