Dr. Richard Besser, Former CDC Director, Joins ABC Medical Team

Sept. 8, 2009— -- Dr. Richard Besser, a 13-year veteran of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is chief health and medical editor of ABC News.

Before joining ABC, Besser served as acting director of the CDC and was the former head of the CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.

It was Besser who decided how to inform the country about the growing problem of swine flu, which he said could still result in nothing more than an average flu season to up to three times worse.

"So the important thing is the whole idea of shared responsibility. You're responsible for your own health and those around you," Besser said on "Good Morning America" today. Besser carries around hand sanitizer all the time.

Besser said kids and parents should should stay home from school or work when they feel sick and have a fever.

"If you're feeling lousy, you should stay home," Besser said. "See which way it's going to go."

People should wait at least one day after a fever has passed to go back to school or to the office, Besser said.