health WATCH By Sara Hodon


s students prepare to hit the books for another school year, parents are busy reinforcing the proper hygiene habits kids need to fend off a number of ailments that strike the average classroom every year.


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Almost like clockwork, Dr. Moshe Markowitz, pediatrician with ABC Family Pediatricians’ 17th Street offi ce in Allentown, says that he sees a number of younger patients with the same complaints: “The common cold in the fall, infl uenza starting in October and November and


42 Early Fall 2011


lasting until early spring, and the occasional spike in strep [throat] in the winter and early spring. We also see some croup, which is common to fi ve and six year olds. That is diagnosed by a distinctive cough that is more like a bark.”


Contrary to the old folk belief that says being out in the cold without a hat or gloves will cause a cold, germs being passed from person to person do. Things like vitamin C tablets and zinc lozenges might help to slow the spread a bit, but as


Markowitz says, the best thing


parents can do is to encourage their children to practice good old-fashioned personal hygiene,


such as thorough hand washing and coughing into their elbow rather than their hands. Don’t discount those bottles of hand sanitizer used at schools and day cares throughout the Valley, either. “They are helpful for routine use if a person’s hands are clean,” he says, “but if your hands are dirty, you want to use regular soap and water.” Markowitz also says that as a way to protect themselves, teachers should remind their students to practice good personal hygiene at school, too. Classrooms and playgrounds are perfect breeding grounds for cold and fl u germs, especially after a quiet three-month summer break. “Kids are being exposed to new strains of viruses because they’re in close proximity,” Markowitz addss. “It’s easier to spread it to others. That’s why there are more colds in the


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Health Concerns


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