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May 1, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Infections Do Not Protect Against Allergy--Study"

Reuters (www.reuters.com) (04/30/02)

Researchers at the Danish Epidemiology Science Center in Copenhagen reported Tuesday that early childhood exposure to diseases such as measles, chicken pox and mumps do not protect against allergies later in life.  Prof. Mads Melbye and a team of scientists analyzed the medical records of 889 Danish women to see if they had experienced the diseases before seven years of age, and they compared the results to standard tests for 11 common allergens.  According to the researchers, women who had measles before one year of age had a greater risk of allergy than those who did not have measles before seven years of age.  The findings were published in the journal Thorax.

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