Avoid the 'back-to-school plague'  Story highlights    • CDC:
Elementary kids get eight to 12 colds or cases of the flu every
school year   • The "germiest" place may be the drinking
fountain, expert say   • Hand-washing, sleep, regular exercise
and a healthy diet are key to preventing illness  As a first-
grade teacher, Julie Miller is exposed to a horrifying number of
germs on a daily basis.  "I've been thrown up on; they sneeze
and cough on me. And lost teeth are a real big thing for first-
graders," said Miller, who teaches at Spring Hills Elementary in
the suburbs of Chicago.  "They're so cute and unaware, though.
They'll have boogers hanging out of their nose and will be
talking to you and not think anything of it. Some teachers flip
out, but I tell my students, 'Go get a Kleenex and wash your
hands.' When they sneeze, I teach them to do it into their
elbows. They learn eventually."  Elementary ways to keep germs
away Elementary ways to keep germs away       Elementary ways to
keep germs away   Elementary