Visiting sick people: is it really detrimental to our health?

@article{citeulike:2880353, abstract = {Intuitively, keeping ones distance from a source of infection would appear to be the best way to limit the occurrence of disease. However, this overlooks the importance of repeated infections in maintaining efficient immune defenses. When acquired immunity has partly waned, re-exposure to the pathogenic agent may lead to mild disease that boosts the immune system. This prevents the total loss of immunity that would lead to classical disease in cases of re-infection. Here, using a mathematical model, we show that avoiding the pathogenic agent is detrimental in some situations, e.g. for pathogens that are highly transmissible, are not excessively lethal and that induce rapidly waning immunity. Reducing exposure to pathogenic agents is among the objectives of most, if not all, public health measures. A better understanding of the factors influencing the severity of a disease is required before applying measures that reduce the circulation of pathogenic agents.}, address = {UMR-CNRS 5558, Biom\'{e}trie et Biologie Evolutive, Universit\'{e} de Lyon, Lyon, France. fouchet@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr}, author = {Fouchet, D. and O'Brien, J. and Pontier, D. }, citeulike-article-id = {2880353}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0002299}, issn = {1932-6203}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, posted-at = {2008-06-16 13:10:59}, priority = {2}, title = {Visiting sick people: is it really detrimental to our health?}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002299}, volume = {3}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2880353 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2880353 TI - Visiting sick people: is it really detrimental to our health? JF - PLoS ONE VL - 3 IS - 6 AD - UMR-CNRS 5558, Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France. fouchet@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr SN - 1932-6203 N2 - Intuitively, keeping ones distance from a source of infection would appear to be the best way to limit the occurrence of disease. However, this overlooks the importance of repeated infections in maintaining efficient immune defenses. When acquired immunity has partly waned, re-exposure to the pathogenic agent may lead to mild disease that boosts the immune system. This prevents the total loss of immunity that would lead to classical disease in cases of re-infection. Here, using a mathematical model, we show that avoiding the pathogenic agent is detrimental in some situations, e.g. for pathogens that are highly transmissible, are not excessively lethal and that induce rapidly waning immunity. Reducing exposure to pathogenic agents is among the objectives of most, if not all, public health measures. A better understanding of the factors influencing the severity of a disease is required before applying measures that reduce the circulation of pathogenic agents. AU - Fouchet, D AU - O'Brien, J AU - Pontier, D PY - 2008/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002299 ER -