Does Swine Flu Shift Sick Leave Decisions?

We've all done it: Sent our kids to school when their noses are still a little bit runny, or gone to work ourselves with a low-grade fever. "It's just a little cold," we tell ourselves. "We'll get over it."

We know we should stay home, but last-minute childcare arrangements and the pileup of work awaiting us if we dare break routine for a day or more seem more daunting than just soldiering on into work or school, armed with decongestant and a box of tissues.

Enlarge iStockphoto.com

Should I stay home or should I blow at school?

iStockphoto.com

Should I stay home or should I blow at school?

But now we're in the H1N1 world, and the risks of soldiering on seem higher. What if our family has been exposed to the new virus but nobody's sick yet? What if we think we're healthy and we're still shedding the virus and able to infect others?

Or even worse, what if we don't have paid sick leave and have to go to work sick because we need to pay the rent?

We want to hear from you for future stories. Have you faced this dilemma and what did you do? Email us your story at:
shots@npr.org.