A new report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) indicates that if you live in Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, New York, or Virginia, then you are currently living in one of the top states in terms of disease prevention and control.
According to ABC News, TFAH developed a scoring system based on metrics like food safety and flu vaccination rates, as well as surveillance of HIV/AIDS. All 50 states were evaluated and ranked against one another based on these criteria on a ten point system.
The top 5 states scored an 8/10 — and no state scored higher than that. The bottom seven states — Oklahoma, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Utah — bottommed the survey out at 3/10.
Dr. Jeffery Levi, executive director of TFAH, stressed that many states take reactive stance on health and safety rather than proactive one. After big scares, like the recent Ebola outbreak, thoughts about public health become more progressive and more proactive.
However, after these scares subside, people tend to “fall back into a place of complacency.”
“We must get beyond our focus on new and exotic emerging concerns and get down to business in preventing ongoing disease burdens,” Dr. Levi said in the study.
Research from TFAH indicates that states are generally becoming more conscious of food safety. In 2013, 39 states met the national performance target of testing 90 percent of E. coli cases within four days, indicating their readiness to respond to and prevent further outbreaks.
Additionally, the study points out that most states still struggle with dealing with “superbugs,” or infections that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. More than 23,000 Americans are killed each year, which translates to around $20 billion in medical costs.