Children’s early interactions with their environment are essential for the immune systems to learn to differentiate between safe versus dangerous disease-causing microbes.
(CDC/Cade Martin)
COVID-19 prevention measures are at odds with guidelines for healthy development of children’s immune systems. The result may be a cluster of youth with more allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease.
Pollen can suppress how the body’s immune system responds to viruses.
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Reports of two UK health workers having allergic reactions after receiving Pfizer’s COVID vaccine have led to safety warnings for others at risk of anaphylaxis.
Recommendations suggest babies be introduced to food allergens around age six months.
(Pixabay)
Introducing food allergens early is the best way to prevent food allergies from developing. Even in a pandemic, the benefits outweigh the very small risk of a severe reaction requiring emergency care.
Paxton Loke, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
If your child has accidentally eaten something you thought they were allergic to, but doesn’t have a response, they may have grown out of their food allergy. Here’s the safest way to check.
We used to think the rise in allergies was because we weren’t exposed to as many early infections as previous generations. But that’s not the case.
Large and small particulates in fire smoke can irritate the the thin lining of the respiratory tract, causing throat irritation, coughing and breathing difficulties.
Erik Anderson/AAP
Bushfire smoke is making it difficult for some people to breathe. Those with asthma are at particular risk, but not everyone with the condition has been diagnosed. Here’s what to look out for.
If you get hay fever, minimising your exposure to grass pollen is likely to be useful. Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to keep track of the pollen count. But what do you do when it’s high?
It comes down to the persistence of symptoms.
Littlekidmoment/Shutterstock
Can your kids be too clean? Increases in allergies suggest so. But how much dirt is too much? A pediatric allergist explains the fascinating reasons the immune system needs dirt for training.
Alongside with milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soybeans and fish, shellfish are one of the eight allergens that account for 90% of food-related allergic reactions. What if a vaccine could exist?
Who has a stronger immune system?
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Women are more prone to immune-related diseases like allergies and irritable bowel syndrome. But this may be due to the fact that they have super-strong immune systems.
Respiratory Allergy Stream Co-chair, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Professor and Head, Allergy Research Group, Queensland University of Technology
Director, Children’s Health and Environment Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Children’s Health and Environment, The University of Queensland