Childhood infections may mitigate serious illness

Did you know that many of the childhoold illness which we are trying to prevent through vaccination actually have valuable health benefits? The following articles and studies explain how they may prevent several cancers, heart disease, and allergies.

Measles virus and cancer

The following articles and Mayo Clinic video explain how the measles virus is being studied as a possible cure for cancer.

Measles virus for cancer therapy

Measles and Cancer: Measles can be good for you?

Measles virus used to put woman’s cancer into remission

Measles Virus as a Cancer Fighter – Mayo Clinic

Illnesses protective against cancers, heart disease, and allergies

The following studies identify health benefits of contracting various childhood infections early in life:

♦  Women who contract mumps in childhood are significantly less likely to develop ovarian cancer as adults:
Possible role of mumps virus in the etiology of ovarian cancer

♦  Mumps infection- not mumps vaccination- protects women against ovarian cancer:
Mumps and ovarian cancer: modern interpretation of an historic association

♦  Women with prior infections of mumps, measles, rubella, or chickenpox are significantly less likely to develop ovarian cancer:
A case control study of carcinoma of the ovary.

♦  Adults with previous infections of influenza, measles, mumps, or chickenpox are less likely to develop malignant melanoma:
Febrile infections and malignant melanoma: results of a case-control study

♦  Infectious diseases, including chickenpox and flu, significantly reduce the risk of developing a brain tumor:
Does prior infection with varicella-zoster virus influence risk of adult glioma?

♦  Early exposure to infections is protective against leukemia:
Early life exposure to infections and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

♦  Measles and mumps infections in childhood protect against heart attacks and strokes during adulthood:
Association of measles and mumps with cardiovascular disease: The Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) study

♦  Chicken pox during childhood is protective against coronary heart disease, such as angina pectoris and heart attacks:
Dual role of infections as risk factors for coronary heart disease

♦  Children who contract measles are significantly less likely to develop allergies than vaccinated children:
Measles and atopy in Guinea-Bissau

♦  Kids who get the chicken pox infection are less likely to develop asthma and allergies than vaccinated children:
Chickenpox in childhood is associated with decreased atopic disorders, IgE, allergic sensitization, and leukocyte subsets

 

Featured image by Polesie Toys.