(WKTV) - It is a good idea to take along some anti-bacterial hand sanitizer with you as you take your kids trick or treating this year.

Dr. Stephen Eadline says he has seen numerous children diagnosed with the H1N1 flu and if your child is one of those kids then you should keep them home in order to prevent the further spread of this virus.

If your child is not sick, Dr. Eadline says the main thing to do to prevent them from getting the flu is to make sure they wash their hands before they go trick or treating, use anti-bacterial hand sanitizer while collecting their treats and then finish the night with a good hand washing.

He said, "Generally, in the population right now, when we're in an epidemic of flu, like we are, you just have to take precautions and it's basically good hand washing, and avoiding people that are sick as much as you can. So I'm sure most mothers will be sending out the liquid hand wash and I think that's a good idea."