Video: New Survey Finds Mothers See Influenza as a Serious Health Threat, but Often Don't Get Their Families ...( The Lung Association's nation...),Health

The Lung Association's national Faces of Influenza public awareness initiative urges Americans to get their annual influenza vaccination. The initiative is designed to help Americans see themselves among the many "faces" of influenza and recognize annual immunization as a safe and effective way to protect themselves and their families against influenza.

Kristi Yamaguchi, a mother and Olympic Gold Medal figure skater, is this year's national spokesperson for the Lung Association's Faces of Influenza initiative. Yamaguchi, also the most recent winner of "Dancing with the Stars," is helping to encourage other parents to see themselves and their family members among one or more target groups recommended for annual immunization by the CDC.

"My doctor every year stresses the importance of influenza vaccination to maintain my health as an athlete. But once I became a mom, I learned our two young children, my husband, our parents and even our babysitter should get the flu shot, too," said Yamaguchi. "As a mother, I take my family's health seriously and I encourage other mothers to talk to their health-care providers to learn whether vaccination is right for themselves and their families."

Yamaguchi is joined by other celebrities and many other families with firsthand experiences on the severity of influenza and need for increased immunization rates. This includes parents who have lost family members to this serious respiratory disease and are dedicated to preventing similar tragedies.

Health-care Professionals Not Always Recommending Influenza Vaccine, Mothers Report

The survey showed that fewer than half of mothers say their health-care professional strongly recommended immunization for their family. Forty percent of respondents also said health-care professionals neither recommended, nor discussed, influenza immunization for the
'/>"/>