It's no secret, parents of young children will say: those who attend daycare are frequently ill. This phenomenon is now confirmed by a synthesis of scientific work: this review of studies, published by Clinical Microbiology Reviews, was conducted by researchers and doctors from University College London, the University of Cambridge, Cornell University and North Middlesex University Hospital… all parents of young children!
Beware of digestive or skin problems…
"As parents, we were all struck by how frequently our nine children became ill after starting nursery."“A one-year-old child can experience an average of 12 to 15 respiratory infections per year, as well as some digestive or skin infections (approximately two gastrointestinal episodes and one to two skin infections per year, the study specifies),” emphasizes co-author Lucy van Dorp, a researcher in infectious disease genomics at UCL.
This vulnerability stems from an immature immune system. The protection passed on by the mother at birth diminishes over the months, making infants more susceptible to infections, particularly in group settings. But this repeated exposure plays a key role. "It's normal for children to get sick often because their immune system has never encountered these germs before. Daycare then acts as a real 'boot camp' for their immunity."" explains Leo Swadling, co-author of the study and researcher at UCL.
Vaccination remains essential
Researchers observe that these children get sick more often than those who stayed home until the age of five—but the trend then reverses: upon starting school, it is the children without prior daycare experience who get sick more often. Early exposure to infections in group settings thus seems to confer lasting protection. Finally, the scientists reiterate that vaccination remains essential to prevent the most serious infections. "That's why we encourage parents to keep their children up-to-date with all available vaccines."commented Dr. Swadling.
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