Web site aims to track wheeziest places

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Ever wanted to know when and where you could have an increased chance of catching bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory infections? Now there's a Web site that could help.

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Learn more about respiratory infections

The Respiratory Tract Infection Alert, launched recently by Bayer as www.RTIalert.com,uses data from about 30,000 doctors around the nation to rate the amount of respiratory illness by region. The rankings are based an analysis of millions of outpatient visits in 72 major markets per year, according to the company.

RTIalert readings -- which appear on the Web site as a scrolling list of cities and the "incidence" ranking -- are reported by ZIP code on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the highest.

For those looking for the wheeziest places by telephone, the alerts are also available toll-free at 866-784-4636.

Respiratory tract infections cause aches, pains and unproductive days for million of adults each year, Bayer said. In many cases, the symptoms are similar to a cold or flu, causing confusion about whether to see a doctor or turn to over-the-counter medicines.

During the last cold season, from October 1999 to March 2000, Orlando, Florida's average illness rating was 6.44, according to RTIalert. The national average for the season was 4.65.

Others in the top 10: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (6.03); Columbus, Ohio (6.02); Tampa, Florida (5.89); Atlanta (5.81); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (5.74); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5.69); Des Moines, Iowa (5.64); Memphis, Tennessee (5.58); and Greenville, South Carolina (5.51).

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