A study conducted by the Institute of Cancer Research, London has shown that extreme hygiene in babies can lead to Leukemia.
According to the research released on Monday, Acutelymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which is the most common type of Leukemia in children below the age of 15 years is caused when immune cells in the bone marrow don’t mature properly.
Professor Mel Greaves who headed the research found that the disease develops in two stages; first stage is genetic mutation before birth and the second stage is when children with the initial mutation fall ill with common infections such as flu.
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The second stage only occurs in children who experience extreme cleanliness in their early life and don’t have much interaction with other kids.
According to the professor, immune systems need to be well developed in childhood so that the body can respond accordingly to infections.
Delayed infection hypothesis has it that if we don’t prime our immune system in early life, we are more likely to be prone to diseases in later life.
Greaves believes that naturally, occurring bacteria might grow a child’s immune system such that they don’t develop Leukemia.
“Some steps that you can take to reduce the risk of childhood Leukemia is trying not to be over-zealous with hygiene and make sure that kids get to play with others so they can share harmless bugs,” Greaves noted.
The professor went further ahead to indicate that he has spent more than 40 years researching on childhood Leukemia.
However, Dr Fredrick Chite of Moi Teaching and Referal Hospital, while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, indicated that the common infection that can trigger ALL only affects the children who are genetically predisposed to the disease.
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He went further on to note that ALL is genetically inherited and does not affect normal children.
He also mentioned that children living in sterile conditions are more prone to common infections than those living in the festering environment.
