Published: November 29, 2008 05:47 pm      

Flu season: Mothers urged to take care

Mothers go to great lengths to nurture their children – cooking meals, wiping runny noses, shuttling kids to and from school and giving lots of love. However, some mothers aren’t so good at taking care of themselves.

Although 78 percent of U.S. mothers consider the flu a severe and potentially life-threatening disease, according to a new survey from the American Lung Association, only 38 percent of moms say they will get vaccinated this flu season. Just 46 percent plan to encourage their spouses and children to be immunized against the flu.

Aside from obtaining a vaccine, here are some simple ways that mothers and mothers-to-be – and their loved ones – can ward off the flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze, the CDC recommends.

• Avoid close contact with sick people if at all possible.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, as germs easily spread this way, according to the CDC.