Crowded underground stations are more likely to be infested with flu-like illnesses, scientists have said. People who use stations with fewer transport links - which are busier - are the most vulnerable, a study found. Residents of Islington, who often change lines at King's Cross St Pancras, had rates of flu nearly three times higher than commuters from Kensington, who mostly take direct trains because there are lots of stations in the borough.
Up to five million people pass through the London underground a day, with 543 trains running at peak time. For the study, the researchers compared Oyster card route information and Public Health England data on flu-like illnesses over six months in 2013/14. The team, led by experts at the University of Bristol, found higher rates of infections in Londoners with more complicated journeys. Greenwich in south-east London had the highest flu-like influenza cases, with 17.32 infections per 100,000 people. At the other end of the table was Hounslow, on the outskirts of West London - close to Heathrow. Its rate of flu-like illnesses was just one per 100,000 people. tations and carriages are the 'perfect breeding ground for the flu’
