With flu season soon approaching

now is the time for parents to start thinking about how to protect their families, but it doesn’t seem that that’s happening. Nearly 80 percent of moms say they do not get their whole family vaccinated against the flu, reports a soon to be released survey conducted by the Visiting Nurse Associations of America and Families Fighting Flu, even though the flu is the leading cause of vaccine preventable deaths for kids. Among moms who take their children to get a flu vaccination (and that’s only 50%) most say “Do as I say, not as I do,” since the majority skip the vaccination themselves! The CDC recommends all children six months to five years old and their caregivers get vaccinated against influenza. That’s why the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA), Families Fighting Flu (FFF) and The Clorox Company teamed up for the Say “Boo!” to the Flu program and pledged to vaccinate thousands of families in October – before flu season peaks. Say “Boo!” to the Flu hits the road in October and will travel across the country vaccinating families and giving flu-fighting tips. I have Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Center, and Mary Zagajeski and Kay Renney from the VNAA available for interviews who can talk about: the importance of flu vaccination in children tips on how to germ proof your home the “Boo!” to the Flu website where parents can track the status of flu outbreak in their area where to go for more information on vaccines Say “Boo!” to the Flu also has an online home, http://www.sayboototheflu.com , where parents will find interactive tools to help them teach their children about flu prevention. At the site, parents can follow the traveling tour, type in their zip code to find a vaccination event in their neighborhood, download games for their kids, and find informational brochures and posters. Confirmed Say “Boo!” to the Flu Tour Schedule: October 1 – Boston October 2 – New York, NY October 3 – Philadelphia October 5 – Washington, DC October 7 – Atlanta October 9 – St. Louis October 11 – Indianapolis October 13 – Milwaukee October 14 – Detroit October 18 – Minneapolis October 21 – San Antonio October 25 – Seattle October 27 – Denver October 31 – Kansas City October 31 – San Francisco