Central Texas among top 5 metro areas battling the flu

The Central Texas area is among the top 5 metro areas battling the flu this week, according to a smartphone app called Sickweather.

Chief Executive Officer Graham Dodge said the app tracks the earliest signals of people reporting the flu through social media posts. The rate of a particular illness is calculated by comparing the reports to the population in a certain area. 

Dodge said the company later checks the number obtained with the information from the Centers for Disease Control, which are released two weeks later.

"People can see what's actually trending in their area while it's occurring, and not two weeks later, because of course, the viral cycle for most illnesses is a couple of weeks," Dodge said.

He added the tool gives early warnings of flu activity in a certain community to users.

Data from Sickweather showed the top 10 states and metro areas. 

Top 10 Flu Metro Areas:

1. Austin, TX
2. Lubbock, TX
3. Oklahoma City, OK
4. Waco-Temple-Bryan, TX
5. Casper-Riverton, WY
6. Dallas-Ft.Worth, TX
7. New Orleans, LA
8. Indianapolis, IN
9. Birmingham, AL
10. San Diego, CA

Top 10 Flu States:

1. Oklahoma
2. Tennessee
3. Nevada
4. Texas
5. Alabama
6. Louisiana
7. Kentucky
8. California
9. Arizona
10. Georgia

Those who download the app can also report whether they have it. 

For more information about flu, data click here. 

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