OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Like in-laws visiting for the holidays or your favorite football team's losing record, cold and flu season is back and here to stay. In fact, nearly one in four children (23%) have already missed a day of school this academic year due to cold and flu viruses, according to a recent survey by The Clorox Company. Despite the spread of germs among kids, seventy-five percent of US adults have not yet gotten the flu shot as of September and more than half of those people (58%) have no plans to get one. At a time of year when calendars overflow with events, it's important to take steps to prevent the spread of cold, flu viruses and FluFOMO, the fear of missing out because of the flu.

"When kids miss days of school, everyone misses out," said Deb Crandall, Associate Brand Director, The Clorox Company. "Families change work schedules and miss out on fun fall activities like sports games or holiday parties. We're continuing our partnership with Sickweather® to help families step up their cold and flu prevention efforts so they don't miss out."

"Sickweather and Clorox help people navigate cold and flu season," said Graham Dodge, Chief Executive Officer, Sickweather®. "Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to fighting the flu and FluFOMO, so we hope people will use our illness tracking to see when and where the flu virus is being reported and Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to help them avoid it." 

Sickweather® is a real-time, crowd-sourced illness map of sickness and symptoms. Through the partnership, people can use Sickweather® to find out where flu and FluFOMO are reported so they can take the appropriate prevention measures at home and on-the-go at the office, their kids' schools, the gym and beyond. To track and report illnesses like FluFOMO, join Sickweather Groups. If someone reports illness within your Groups, click the Sympathy Button to share get-well wishes from Clorox. Sickweather® has also recently integrated international surveillance into its app so you can track illness if your travels take you to any English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Portuguese and German-speaking countries this fall.

The CDC recommends the flu shot as a first line of defense for everyone aged 6 months and older, but for the second year in a row, the CDC does not recommend nasal spray flu vaccines.^[1] According to the CDC, regularly disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces is another effective way to prevent the spread of colds and flu. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are an EPA-registered disinfectant that kill 99.9% of germs including viruses that cause colds and flu^[2] and Staph, E. Coli, Salmonella and Strep.

"I always recommend the flu shot, especially for the young, old and immunocompromised populations, but there are other habits we can all develop to help keep ourselves and those around us healthy during cold and flu season," said Dr. Tanya Altmann, pediatrician, best-selling author and founder of Calabasas Pediatrics. "Wash your hands often, stick to good health guidelines for eating, sleeping and exercising and wipe down surfaces you touch most frequently, including doorknobs, light switches, and faucets with a disinfectant approved to kill cold & flu viruses^[3], like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes."

www.Clorox.com/FluFOMO is the one-stop cold and flu season resource you need to help prevent the spread of germs in your own home. Play the FluFOMO matching game to receive discounts on the Clorox products you need to protect you and your home from the flu all season long and to be entered into a sweepstakes.

Visit the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store to download the free Sickweather® app.

The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with approximately 8,100 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2017 sales of $6 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol^® cleaners; Liquid Plumr^® clog removers; Poett^® home care products; Fresh Step^® cat litter; Glad^® bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford^® charcoal; Hidden Valley^® dressings and sauces; Brita^® water-filtration products; Burt's Bees^® natural personal care products; and RenewLife^® digestive health products. The company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare® and Clorox Commercial Solutions^®. More than 80 percent of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.

Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a community of global leaders committed to sustainability. The company also has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, most notably receiving a Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award in 2016 and 2017 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as being named to CR Magazine's 2017 Best Corporate Citizens list and included in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings. The Clorox Company and its foundations contributed about $11 million in combined cash grants, product donations and cause marketing in fiscal year 2017. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, including the Good Growth blog, and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.

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About Sickweather®
Sickweather® is the world's first real-time map of sickness and the largest crowdsourcing community of its kind – processing millions of illness reports each month. The company has received numerous awards and been recognized for accurately forecasting outbreaks up to 15 weeks in advance. Sickweather® is committed to providing consumers and businesses the most accurate, predictive and meaningful sickness forecasts in the world – for reducing healthcare costs and saving lives. For more information, please visit www.sickweather.com

Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2346 adults, of whom 438 have school-age children. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 21st of September, 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

^[1] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.htm  
^[2] Rhinovirus and Influenza A2
^[3] Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Influenza A virus

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SOURCE Clorox