H1N1 (swine flu) advice for parents now that students are returning to school

Now that many students are back to school, parents are very concerned about swine flu (H1N1). Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN offers some practical advice for parents who have concerns about this pandemic. The four points outlined by Dr. Gupta include: keep your sick kids at home, call your pediatrician before taking your child to the doctor, and make sure you know when you must call your doctor.

We know that many students (and parents) are going to get sick this fall/winter with H1N1. Let's hope that parents and teachers don't over-react to this situation but that they use common sense as they deal with swine flu and that they consult their healthcare providers appropriately. Emergency rooms and primary care offices will be extremely busy this fall/winter. What's going to happen as healthcare providers get sick? We're probably going to see some significant shortages of healthcare providers this fall/winter.

Here's my tip for parents:
Have a backup plan so that you can go somewhere else in case your healthcare provider is unavailable. If your pediatrician is a solo practitioner and he/she gets sick, then you'll have to find a different office.