Newswise — MAYWOOD – The Gottlieb Allergy Count, reported by Joseph Leija, MD, will officially begin Monday, March 31. For the past week, Dr.Leija has been monitoring the air daily in preparation.

"I expect that mold will be an issue this year due to the large amount of snow we received this winter,” said Dr. Leija, who has performed the Gottlieb Allergy Count for more than two decades. "Pollen and grass also will be problematic as the weather improves because of the excess moisture in the Chicago area.”

Leija, performs the official daily allergy count for the Midwest on behalf of the National Allergy Bureau. In 2012, Dr. Leija, an allergist, retired from seeing patients. However, he continues to do the Gottlieb Allergy Count as a public health service to help those who suffer from allergies and asthma better manage their condition.

“I encourage those who suffer from allergies to begin taking their medication and controlling environmental triggers now to prepare for allergy season,” Dr. Leija cautioned. “Don’t wait until you have symptoms to treat them.”

Dr. Joseph Leija is solely certified by the National Allergy Bureau to perform the daily count usually from March - October. Dr. Leija will begin the allergy count later this year due to the extended cold spell the Chicago area has endured.

An octogenarian, Dr. Leija rises before dawn to collect specimens from his pollen catching-machine atop Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in order to deliver the count to the public by 7 a.m. The Gottlieb Allergy Count is then available in English, Polish and Spanish, through Twitter: at Gottliebhospital.org and in English at 1-866-4-POLLEN (476-5536).

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