VACAVILLE, Calif. -- Doctors are warning people of all ages, especially parents, to be aware of the scary truth about Halloween and H1N1 when they go to parties or trick-or-treating.

Dr. Peaslee Dumont said keeping a child from getting sick means following some simple Halloween H1N1 health tips, reported KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif.

"It's not so important to kill the germs -- it's to wash them away," said Dumont, who works in Vacaville, where a first-grader died last week apparently from H1N1. Vacaville is about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.

That's exactly what Kat Byers plans to do with her 2-year-old daughter, Jessica.

"Keep sanitizer on us, make sure she washes her hands at all times," Byers said.

Other parents, like Marina Stitzel, have similar plans.

"I don't think you can be careful enough," Stitzel said.

Stitzel's son, Stephano, is 3 years old, and he knows exactly what he wants to be this Halloween.

"Spiders," Stephano said.

So Stitzel is going trick-or-treating with some goodies of her own.

"We have the baby wipes and hand wipes with us. We're constantly cleaning his hands," Stitzel said.

Dumont said washing your hands and being a bit more vigilant than normal is the trick.

"Anyone who is sick, is coughing or sneezing, should stay home, even though it's Halloween," Dumont said.

He said those who are sick or live in a home where someone is ill should also avoid handing out candy.

Some doctors also recommend that people use a scoop rather than their hands when giving out candy.

Doctors also urge shoppers not to try on costumes in stores. They recommend that buyers buy a costume that comes wrapped in plastic, and to wash a mask before wearing it.