Early exposure to infections doesn't protect against allergies, but getting into nature might
- Written by Emily Johnston Flies, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (U.Tasmania), University of Tasmania

Over the past few decades, allergies and asthma have become common childhood diseases, especially in developed countries. Almost 20% of Australians experience some kind of allergy, whether it’s to food, pollen, dust, housemites, mould or animals.
When people suffer from food allergies, hay fever or asthma, their immune...