At home, we got the girls to wash their hands as frequent as possible. When we’re out, we warned them not to touch railings, lift buttons, actually just about anything. We also got them to use the hand sanitizer if they’d touched anything we thought might have germs. In school, their temparature is taken before they are allowed in the school compound.

Naturally, they asked us what is all this fuss about. We told them there’s a virus called H1N1, and the ways one can contract it. After a while, they started forming ideas themselves.

Zara being a bit paranoid will came out questions like, “How do you know if you have H1N1?”
“Mummy, I have a bit of a sore throat, do I have H1N1?
“Mummy, I just touched the XXX (which could be anything), will I get H1N1?”

And she said, “H1N1 is the king of virus. All the other germs listen to him, and they will attack you. So you’ll be very sick.”

Over dinner, the little one said, “I got H1N1.” pointed to her wound from her fall yesterday, “See my H1N1.” o.O”

I can make them soup they would never drink, ask them to eat vege they would normally give it a pass, all I have to say is, “It’s good for you, help your body to be strong, to fight H1N1” And they would cringe and gulp.

When I was giving them their dose of DHA pill (which they love btw, no coaxing required) just now, Zaria said, “I eat fish pill (which is what they called) already, then can squash the H1N1.”