H1N1 is a new variant of influenza type A. It is highly contagious and spreads from person-to-person in several ways: when an ill person sneezes or coughs, infected droplets enter another person through the nose, mouth or eyes; or the droplets can land on a contact surface (e.g., a doorknob) that is touched by another person who then touches their face. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you, when one child comes to school sick, illness can spread quickly through the classroom.

Hand washing is the first step to staying healthy, but there is more that can be done. Germs are also spread by touching surfaces, so while we can’t control every germ in the school environment, it makes good sense to clean and disinfect high contact surfaces and areas.