D.C. and Baltimore Among Most Severe Flu Locations

DoctorsReport.com has released a list of cities with the most severe breakouts of the flu this season and both the Washington D.C. area and Baltimore are within the top 15. In addition to their ranking among other cities, DoctorsReport also judged them on a scale of 0-10.

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 9.5

2. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 9.5

3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, 9.0

4. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, 9.0

5. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 8.0

6. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, 7.5

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 7.0

8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 7.0

9. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 6.5

10. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, 6.0

11. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 5.5

They also ranked cities based on their Flu A severity, a different type of influenza that can produce similar results 

1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, 8.5

2. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, 7.0

3. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 7.0

4. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 6.0

5. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 6.0

6. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, 5.5

7. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, 4.5

8. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, 4.5

9. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 4.0

10. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 4.0

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials are strongly encouraging people to wash their hands, get plenty of sleep, and to keep surfaces clean to avoid catching the flu. This story was first reported on WJLA.