Community Corner
Stamford Children Vulnerable to "Cough and Fever" This Season
The medical director at Stamford's Firefly Pediatrics names the most widespread maladies among less than a month into the 2012 winter season.
While local kids can prevent many sicknesses through good hygeine, a local physician suggests that some things, such as winter illness, are "inevitable."
"We've seen a lot of coughing, a lot of fever, sore throat...stomach bugs," medical director Stuart Silverstein said. Firefly has been open since July 2007, and has maintained steady growth within that time.
Silverstein admitted that while seasonal childhood sickness was sometimes preventable, sometimes, kids just get sick. "It sort of points towards being indoors, in close proximity," Silverstein said. "I'm not so sure if Stamford's a special case, I think, you know, it's winter, and kids are returning from vacation. In general, kids get sick during the winter time. That's a cycle."
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According to Silverstein, many of his patients this season are pre-schoolers, specifically kids between the ages of 3-7. In a single day last week, he saw 33 patients.
"The best way to prevent sickness is hand-washing. That's tried and true...a lot of hand-washing and hygiene," Silverstein said. "If you have a stomach flu, it's especially important that you wash hands, because that's how it's transmitted."
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Other preventative measures are available for parents this year, in the form of an H1N1 vaccine, available to children over six months of age. website lists February 18th and February 25th as dates for the next free H1N1 clinic in the Government Center.
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