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Originally posted by traxor
This is extremely stupid, one thing is now that it is a too sterile environment, and babies aren't getting any illnesses because of there. So their immune system will be much lower than that of somebody much older, therefore increasing the chance of disease in latter life.
Not quite - the immune system actually becomes over-sensitive, which is thought to be linked to allergies later in life. Minor childhood illnesses teach the immune system to regulate itself, so for the majority of responses, it doesn't cause any noticeable effect to the person. Only for significant responses do you see symptoms.
Of course, if the immune system is over-sensitive, you see flu-like symptoms in response to otherwise harmless chemicals, much in the same way as an allergy (as it is one).