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H1N1: Sunny days, chasin' the swine flu away

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  • H1N1: Sunny days, chasin' the swine flu away

    September 1, 2009
    H1N1: Sunny days, chasin' the swine flu away

    Posted at 01:15:10 PM on September 1, 2009

    First, Cookie Monster cuts back on cookies, and now this.

    The White House has announced Sesame Workshop will team up with the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Education to promote public service ads aimed at preventing the spread of swine flu.

    (Check the end of the post for links to useful, information-packed websites that help parents prepare for swine flu and explain H1N1 to their kids.)

    The initiative takes ads produced last year, where Elmo and Gordon talk about the importance of sneezing into your elbow and washing your hands, and redirects viewers to www.flu.gov for more information.

    "Sesame Street's Elmo can be a powerful messenger in delivering simple, yet compelling messages that teach a child to wash their hands and cover their mouth this flu season," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop

    It's a good thing we're not talking Bird Flu, or they'd have quarantine issues with a certain tall, yellow character.

    With the school year upon us, have you talked to your kids about H1N1? How are educating them, and what if any steps are you planning to take to help prevent them from catching the virus? How worried are you?

    Here are a few solid family-oriented web resources that offer advice and resources for parents about preparing for and talking about swine flu: UK Health Agency, Flu.gov, Nemours Foundation, Web.MD, CDC .


    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

  • #2
    Re: H1N1: Sunny days, chasin' the swine flu away

    F for Flu : US enlists Sesame Street in health drive By AFP - Tue Sep 1, 9:28

    WASHINGTON (AFP) -

    As US kids go back to school facing a likely resurgence of (A)H1N1 flu, the US government Tuesday enlisted Sesame Street muppets Elmo and Gordon in a new health campaign.

    Health and Human Services Department Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks to members of the news media as Sesame Street character Elmo stands besides her in Washington in May 2009. As US kids go back to school facing a likely resurgence of (A)H1N1 flu, the US government Tuesday enlisted Sesame Street muppets Elmo and Gordon in a new health campaign.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Robert Giroux)


    The brains behind the famed educational television show for tots will partner with the agencies in four public service announcements warning children of the need to stifle sneezes, wash hands and to stay home if they get sick.

    "Wash with Elmo, wash, wash, wash," the furry red muppet says in one ad, imploring kids to keep their hands clean to stop the spread of germs.

    US officials have repeatedly warned of a likely resurgence of H1N1 flu as children return to school over the next few weeks after the long summer break.

    "We are thrilled to partner with Elmo, Gordon, and Sesame Workshop again to emphasize the steps kids and their parents can take to stay happy and healthy this school year," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

    "Younger children and their parents are some of the people most at risk from the new H1N1 flu virus.

    "With schools starting back up again and the weather starting to get colder, we need to do everything we can to get these important messages about how to prevent the spread of the flu out there."

    The new public service advertisements unite the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education with Sesame Workshop, the non-profit group behind Sesame Street.

    The tie-up was announced by the White House hours before President Barack Obama was set to meet senior US officials in the Oval Office for a briefing on US preparations to combat the flu.

    In the government's worst-case scenario the A(H1N1) virus -- which spreads easily among children -- could cause as many as 90,000 deaths in the United States alone.

    Since it appeared in April, the virus has infected about two million people nationally, seen 7,983 taken to hospital and 522 deaths.

    New US medical advice tells kids to keep their distance from those who are sick, sneeze into their arms to stop germs being spread on their hands, and frequent hand washing with soap and water.

    The Mexican version of Sesame Street, Plaza Sesamo, quickly responded to the Mexican swine flu outbreak earlier this year with four similar public service announcements, including several Mexican celebrities.

    Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo!
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

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