Not long ago at my child’s school I overheard a parent say, “Yes, he had a fever yesterday afternoon, but it went away before dinner. He woke up feeling fine today and so I brought him in. He loves school and was so glad he could come.”

I inwardly cringed.

One of the best things you can do to help stop the spread of H1N1, or indeed any flu, is to keep your children home from school (or you home from work) for a minimum of 24 hours after the fever is gone (of course, this means without the use of fever-reducing medication). For younger children, you might want to keep them home for an extra day as they will likely be contagious longer and tend to be less diligent about hand-washing and other preventative measures.

This recommendation for H1N1 is a departure from the normal CDC procedure which is to stay home for 24 hours after the cessation of symptoms, or 7 days after the onset of symptoms, whichever is longer.

When in doubt, of course, contact your own physician and follow their recommendation. The CDC website is also a go-to source for supplemental health information; here is their detailed recommendation as how long people with flu-like symptoms should stay away from others.

Let’s protect each other this season by diligently working to avoid the spreading of the flu; as good as it feels to get back to normal after a bout with the illness, it will feel even better to know that you’ve done your best to keep others healthy.