After the second week, a handful of Covid tests, and one fever, we took her to the doctor and asked why this cold was lasting so long.
Our pediatrician was like “not cold, colds. She probably had 3-4 viruses back-to-back.”
I had no idea this was a thing - he called them “daycare viruses.”
Do children who attend daycare eventually develop a much stronger immune system? (No idea how this could be scientifically measured.) I also wonder about doctor's who work in the emergency room. How are they not constantly sick with some kind of common cold / flu / bronchitis? They must have the immune system of a super hero.
I have many siblings (more than 9). All of us grew up on an active farm except the youngest one. None have had any food allergies except from my youngest brother.
> I also wonder about doctor's who work in the emergency room. How are they not constantly sick with some kind of common cold / flu / bronchitis?
A colleague of mine told me his wife would eat anything that had expired best before date etc while she was in training, just to build her defenses.
I cannot vouch for this theory but maybe someone else can tell if it is a common tactic.
(I think it sounds weird.)
[1] https://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20180716/can-dogs-keep-...
I would say so, yes. Your body remembers what viruses it's already fought, and will remain primed (for a significant time) to fight it again. Kids exposed to lots of illnesses when young, should end up with a more robust immune system in adulthood.
This is why chicken pox parties are a thing.
Probably your kid has by the time you started supplementing just gone through the typically circulating virus strains and thus the viral loads in your kid don't replicate to levels that almost guarantee you being infected when interacting with them (like cuddling, comforting when they cry, etc.).
First few months of daycare, constant colds. Then COVID hit and we took the kids out of daycare, no colds for months. Back at daycare, colds started right away.
It has mostly stopped for my five year old. She gets a normal amount of colds now (a few per year), but our two year old is still a constant cold machine.
Did the doctor's test for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)? I only learned about that illness recently. Interestingly, there have been multiple, failed attempts to build a vaccine. It is one of the last statistically significant childhood viral illnesses without a vaccine in highly developed nations. I wonder if an mRNA solution can be found after the COVID crisis is over. I sincerely hope so.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_syncytial_virus
