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Hepatitis A: Good News?

Not getting common childhood infections like hepatitis A as a child may increase the chances of developing allergies later on in life by 200%, so says a study published in the April 5, 1997 issue of the British Medical Journal. Children who have had hepatitis A "are less likely to develop allergies later in life than those who never had the infectious disease." The study, done at the Laboratory of Immunology and Allergy in Rome, Italy, continues by saying "the declining rate of childhood [infectious diseases] is thought to be the most important factor in the surge of allergies in Western countries in the last 30 years. " By way of offering a possible explanation, Dr. S. Shabeen of Guy's and Thomas's Hospital and Medical School in London says, "When one is exposed to an infectious disease, the body fights back, mounting an immune system response to fight off the germs. When this happens in childhood, the immune system strengthens, perhaps to the extent that the youngster becomes resistant to allergy-causing 'invaders'." He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything. - Arab Proverb

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