Feeling sick? You could have the flu: Dallas-Fort Worth made Walgreens top 10 list

Living in one of the biggest metropolitan areas in America, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has a lot of pluses and now you can add "most flu activity" to that list, unfortunately.

Walgreens launched its first Flu Index of the 2017-18 season in early December as a weekly report ranking the top markets and states for flu activity in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.

Texas and Arkansas top the list of the top 10 states with the most flu activity, while Brownsville and Beaumont are Nos. 1 and 2 in the top 10 cities for the flu virus. The Dallas-Fort Worth area wasn't far behind, sitting at No. 8 on the list.

The Walgreens Flu Index has been around for the past four years. The drugstore chain compiles weekly retail prescription data for antiviral medications used to treat influenza across Walgreens and Duane Reade locations nationwide, and Walgreens locations in Puerto Rico.

The index uses weekly data from almost 8,000 locations in an effort to remind people about the importance of taking preventive measures, such as receiving a flu shot, to help stay healthy throughout the winter.

Take a look at the top 10 list of metros and states below.

Top 10 metro areas with flu activity

1. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas

2. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas

3. Tyler-Longview (Lufkin & Nacogdoches), Texas

4. Corpus Christi, Texas

5. Houston, Texas

6. Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.

7. Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

9. San Antonio, Texas

10. Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.

Top 10 states with flu activity

1. Texas

2. Arkansas

3. Tennessee

4. West Virginia

5. Wyoming

6. North Carolina

7. Nebraska

8. Iowa

9. Oklahoma

10. Idaho

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Feeling sick? You could have the flu: Dallas-Fort Worth made Walgreens top 10 list."