We live in a time when people buy antibacterial hand sanitizer by the gallon and put the giant plastic containers out for communal use.

It's a curious gesture, as people most inclined to use hand sanitizer are the ones least likely to clean their hands with something that requires touching the same pump other people have put their dirty hands on. It makes sense, with all we hear about superbugs. That container might look clean, but what if it's crawling with clever germs who had the foresight to jump to safety just before the lethal cleanser was released and have been building up resistance while waiting for an inviting host hand to make contact?

But even if those jugs of sanitizer aren't used, they still serve a purpose, reminding everyone that it's a germy world and they should wash their hands.

It's not something a mom of school-aged children needs to be reminded of, even those like myself who keep buying sanitizer even though everyone in the family keeps getting sick. We're the moms who have to check the Internet every time their kids present a new combination of symptoms, because now the flu is more a threat than a mere annoyance.

As a result, little things I might have hugged and kissed away or banished with Tylenol need more scrutiny. Does a clammy kid with a headache and nausea need a bed at home or in an emergency room? What about a hyper kid with a low-grade fever? My daughter recently stumped me when, after recovering from the flu, she seemed perfectly fine except for a non-itchy, non-painful, non-red rash that didn't bother her and I only accidentally noticed.

Heat rash? Allergies? Some dread disease that requires urgent care despite the lack of discomfort? Does anything that's not particularly bothersome deserve an ER visit?

I keep finding myself looking over the symptoms for the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. I know they're pretty much the same as the ones for the regular flu. Or a bad cold. Or a sinus infection. Or bronchitis. Maybe even pneumonia. It's not something you can self-diagnose, but also not something that necessarily needs diagnosis if it goes away without complication, as I discovered when a particularly nasty bug decided to attack everyone in my family and several people we knew.

We washed our hands, covered our coughs and attempted to contain the germs with antibacterial cleansers, decongestants and suppressants, only to watch helplessly as the bug relentlessly moved from one person to another. The spread was more alarming than the symptoms, which never received a formal diagnosis, and doctors only recommended the typical treatment: confinement and rest. No hand sanitizer required.

When she's not being a journalist, Treena Shapiro is busy with her real job, raising a son and daughter. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.