I always like to hear from readers, but it's especially nice when they provide ideas for my column. Several wrote in recently about severe acute respiratory syndrome.
"I saw a piece on the news about Japan hoping it can avoid SARS because its citizens have such high standards of cleanliness," one reader in the U.S. wrote. "They said it's because personal hygiene is emphasized in Japanese schools. True?"
It's true, and I've wanted to write about hygiene education ever since I saw the health handouts my kids bring home from school. These handouts urge students to go to bed early, exercise regularly and wash their hands frequently. They also urge kids to gargle as soon as they get home.