Bad air, allergy triggers put Fresno high on sick list

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A study of America’s 100 most populous cities ranked Fresno as the second most illness-prone city.

The ranking by Soliant Health considered factors such as air quality, cold and flu activity, asthma rates, seasonal pollen allergies, and public transportation germs.

The city at the top of the list was also in the Central Valley: Bakersfield placed first with Fresno coming second. The study cited Fresno’s “combination of bad air and allergy triggers.”

A ranking of the top ten most illness-prone cities in the nation is below:

California dominates in the ranking with four of the top 10 cities being in the Golden State. The study cites California’s combination of poor air quality, significant cold and flu activity, and high asthma rates for this phenomenon.

Statistics to conduct the ranking were gathered from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, the Census Bureau, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

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