The Flu

[wolf]

The Virginia concentration could be the result of commuters to DC. People go to the doctor near home, not near work, in most cases.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by wolf

The Virginia concentration could be the result of commuters to DC. People go to the doctor near home, not near work, in most cases.

...or we could admit the numbers are stacked.


Higher Virginia flu numbers explained
By Tammie Smith
Published: January 24, 2009

Virginia is the only state reporting widespread flu, according to a federal map that shows where flu is occurring.

But there might not necessarily be more sniffing and sneezing going on here than in other states. Virginia has switched to a more sensitive method of finding cases of flulike illness.

"I have no reason to think Virginia is experiencing more influenza right now than other states," said C. Diane Woolard, division director for surveillance and investigation at the Virginia Department of Health.

"I think the difference is really in how we collect the data. We have changed how we do flu surveillance in the last couple of years," Woolard said.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by wolf

The Virginia concentration could be the result of commuters to DC. People go to the doctor near home, not near work, in most cases.

In my limited experience, people in the Northern Virginia/DC area tend to pick doctors near work. Otherwise you might never have time to actually get to the doctor between commuting and serving time for murdering people because of said commute.