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Ukrainians are eating onions and garlic, taking vitamins, spending more time at home, and also drinking alcoholic beverages in order to protect themselves from flu and flu-like illnesses. Ukrainians are eating onions and garlic, taking vitamins, spending more time at home, and also drinking alcoholic beverages in order to protect themselves from flu and flu-like illnesses, according to a survey carried out by Research & Branding Group.

R&B Group sociologist Yevhen Kopatko presented the results of the survey at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Dec. 1.

He said that most Ukrainians (77%) claimed that they had not caught flu or other flu-like illnesses in the last two months.

Asked how respondents protect themselves from flu and other respiratory illnesses, 66.7% said that they eat onions and garlic, 23% said they take vitamins, 15% take antiviral medicines, and 15% spend more time at home so as not to be exposed to the flu virus. However, 9% of respondents prefer such means of preventive measures as the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and 11.9% said they wear gauze masks.

Following the announcement of the start of the flu epidemic in Ukraine, 29% of respondents said they, first and foremost, bought anti-viral products (onion, garlic, and citrus fruits), and 27% started to watch the news regularly.

The poll was held in 24 regions of Ukraine and Crimea Nov. 20 through Dec. 1, 2009. A total of 2,000 respondents participated in the survey. The poll's margin of error is 2.2%.