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Development of the Immune System in Children

 The immune system begins developing before a child is born. A

combination of innate resistance to certain diseases, maternally

acquired antibodies and active exposure to germs helps build

children's immune systems as they grow into adults. Vaccinations

can protect children against diseases that may harm their

development if contracted and that they may not be strong enough

to fight off on their own.

 Immune System

 Immune systems vary from person to person; some are

stronger and some weaker. The immune system protects the

body from disease and infection. It attacks dangerous germs

that enter the body and fights them off: This is called the

immune response. There are three different types of immune

response: innate, adaptive and passive.

We're born with innate, or natural, immunity to certain

diseases; for example, we can't catch certain ailments animals

suffer from. Our skin and mucous membranes, like the inside

of our noses, mouths and intestines, also make up our natural

immune system--they are barriers guarding the body against

infection.

Active, or adaptive, immunity develops as you age. The older

you get, the more germs you become immune to because

you've been exposed to more of them. You also can be

immunized against diseases through vaccination with

antigens.

Passive immunity is borrowed from a different source: A

child receives antibodies through his mother's milk, for

example. Passive immunity doesn't last very long. You can

receive what's called "passive" inoculation if you're already

infected with a particular disease or if you've been exposed to

it. This type of inoculation will help you fight off the disease

you already have, rather than prevent you from getting it in

the first place. It's usually done with serum containing

antibodies from immune people (often gamma globulin) or

animals.

Children's Immune Systems

 The immune system begins to develop from stem cells when

an embryo is about five weeks old. When a baby is born, his

immune system is stimulated by the new germs he's exposed

to, and he begins to produce antibodies roughly six days after

birth. He's already temporarily immune to some diseases,

because his mother has given him passive immunity while he

was in utero. If he's nursing, he'll also be receiving antibodies

through her milk. This type of passive immunity, called

maternal immunity, will slowly fade over about six to eight

months. His own immune system will keep growing, and by

the time he's 1 year old, he'll already have adult-level

immunity to some diseases. He'll still constantly be exposed

to new germs, however; if a cold is going around, an adult's

body might already have "learned" how to fight it off, while

the same cold might have a baby sniffling and sneezing

because he's encountering the germ for the first time.

Vaccinations

 Vaccinations work by introducing antigens into a child's

body without making him ill. The body's B lymphocytes,

cells in the bone marrow that protect the body against illness,

then produce antibodies that lock onto the antigens and

prevent them from doing harm. These antibodies stay in the

body so that if the child comes in contact with those

particular antigens again, the antibodies are ready to disable

the antigen cells.

Vaccination Schedule and Controversy

 Traditionally, a child will have a series of vaccinations at

regular intervals after she is born. These include Hepatitis B,

a diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis combination, polio, rotavirus

and the measles/mumps/rubella combination. These

immunization shots help to protect an infant or child from

contracting diseases that could be very hard for an immature

immune system to ward off and that, if contracted, could

negatively affect growth and development. They also protect

the community: The more children who are inoculated

against a disease, the less likely that disease is to enter a

community and affect children who haven't been vaccinated.

Some parents choose not to vaccinate their children due to

concerns over the preservative used in the

measles/mumps/rubella shot, which has been anecdotally

linked to autism.

Immune System Problems

 A child can be born with an immune disorder or can contract

it after birth. Genetic immune disorders come in varying

shapes and sizes. As a whole, they're called primary immune

deficiency diseases, or PIDDs. They're hereditary. They

manifest themselves through frequent, recurring illnesses,

such as eight or more ear infections within a year. They're

treatable, but the sooner they're identified, the better for the

child's development. Treatments include intensive courses of

antibiotics, antiviral drugs, antibody replacement and even

bone marrow transplants.

Autoimmune disorders occur when the body attacks its own

tissue, believing it to be a foreign invader. Autoimmune

disorders common in children include rheumatic fever (a

disease that can damage heart valves), juvenile arthritis,

psoriatic arthritis (an inflammatory joint disease suffered by

children who also have the skin disease psoriasis) and

scleroderma (the hardening of the skin and mucous

membranes). Each disorder has a different treatment.

Acquired immune disorders include HIV. A child can

contract HIV through a blood transfusion or from her

HIV-positive mother, either in the womb, during childbirth or

during breastfeeding. HIV-positive children can be treated

with antiretroviral drugs, but they may be slow to reach

milestones such as crawling, walking and talking.









Studies have shown that a child's immune system doesn't completely

mature until about 6 years of age

"The blood-brain barrier is not intact in infants until at least 6 weeks of

life. This is why a newborn with a fever must be subjected to a spinal tap

to rule out menningitis. Any virus or bacteria that a newborn is exposed

to can go directly to the nervous system. This is why the Hepatitis B

vaccine at birth is so dangerous. Between 1991 and 1999, when the shot

contained thimerisol, giving it at birth would have resulted in mercury

crossing into the brain since the blood-brain barrier was not yet intact.

As a nurse, I'm concerned that this information about the normal timing

of a blood-brain barrier forming is not more readily known. I think this

normal delay in the forming of a blood-brain barrier is an important

piece of the puzzle and one of the reasons for the surge of autism in the

90's

Everyone is born with an immune system. It consists of a team of cells,

proteins, tissues and organs that fight off illness, germs and other

invaders. When an unsafe substance enters the body, the immune system

kicks into gear and attacks. In a baby's first few months, her immune

system is not fully developed. Fortunately, humans are protected by

antibodies passed on from their mother's placenta. Over the next several

years, along with the brain and other organs, the immune system

develops at a precise pace.

Baby's First Few Months

As time goes by, a baby benefits less and less from his mother's immune

system---unless he is breastfed. Mothers produce milk rich in cells that

fight disease and infection, so breast milk continues to supplement a

baby with disease-fighting antibodies long after delivery. Formula

cannot duplicate the benefits of mother's milk. Comparatively, breastfed

infants generally suffer from fewer chronic diseases, such as allergies,

rheumatic disorders and ear infections.

Still, formula-fed babies do not have an immune system, it's just slower

to develop. For instance, a formula-fed infant takes about a month to

develop the antibodies necessary to fight serious disease. If antigens get

into a child's system, her immune system may not fully develop a

resistance to that bug; the newly developing immune system might

incorrectly identify that strain of antigen as harmless.

Immunizations

At 2 to 3 months old, immunoglobulin antibodies passed on from the

mother's placenta will be at a low point. This is when the baby's immune

system begins producing its own antibodies.

To aid in kick-starting the immune system, infants are vaccinated against

some diseases; vaccines essentially are tiny amounts of inactive,

disease-causing bacteria.

In the magazine BabiesToday, Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn

medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital, notes: "Vaccinations teach an

infant's immune system to recognize specific, highly contagious,

dangerous germs that cause serious diseases (for example, polio,

whooping cough and German measles)."

Nutrition

One of the best ways to help your 3- to 6-month-old continue building a

healthy immune system is good nutrition. By this time, she should be

eating some solids. Lauren Graf, clinical dietitian at the Montefiore

Medical Center in New York, suggests feeding your child creamy sweet

potatoes and applesauce. The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in

these foods protect the cells of the immune system. As your child grows

and begins eating more solid foods, incorporate other nutrients, such as

zinc, found in fortified cereals, beans and eggs, to keep her immune

system functioning well.

Be aware that some foods can suppress an immature immune system,

Graf says. So limit sugars from juice and other packaged foods, such as

yogurt.

Sleep

Researchers continue to explore all the ways sleep benefits our health,

but what's known for sure is that older children who do not get enough

sleep have a poorer response to the flu vaccine. Further, the study

"Sleeping to Fuel the Immune System," written by doctors from the

University of Michigan Medical School, indicate that the immune

system is impaired by lack of sleep.

While newborns and infants can sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a

day, even your 3-year-old needs upwards of 10 to 14 hours a night and

naps during the day, according to the National Sleep Foundation.