TODAY SO MANY people seem to have allergies

In the 1960s, when I was at school in London, nobody in my classes or amongst my friends and family and other acquaintances ever mentioned being allergic to anything. Occasional seasonal hay-fever is all I can recall in that era.

What has happened since those days before the epipen was even dreamed about?

I asked a medical academic about this a few years ago, and he told me about a study carried out in the USA. The occurrence of allergies amongst children brought up on farms was significantly lower than for those brought up in cities. He suggested that on farms, young kids get exposed to dirt containing allergens to a far greater extent than those being raised in more hygiene aware environments in cities.

It is true that many children (in families above the ‘bread line’) in cities are brought up cleaner environments (hence the popularityof medicated wipes) than kids who are free to roam around in farms.

Can one conclude that being overconcerned with youngsters’ hygiene might not be altogether beneficial when considering allergies?

Although I am not advocating the complete abandonment of hygienic practices, occasional exposure to some dirt during early childhood might possibly reduce the chance of a child devloping allergies in later life.

Just thinking aloud!