Leukaemia is the commonest form of cancer to affect children, but in most cases the cause remains a mystery.  It has been suggested, however, that the leukaemia might develop as an abnormal response to an infection.  As a result there is a belief that children who are exposed to a variety of infections very early in life might actually be at less risk of getting leukaemia than other children.

A recent British study has tested this theory, working on the theory that babies who go to regular childcare in the the first months of their lives will be more likely to come into contact with infection than children who are looked after mainly at home.  This study has actually shown that those children who do mix a lot with others in their first few months seem to have about half the likelihood of developing leukaemia compared to those who lead more sheltered early lives.

So this report does lend weight to the belief that exposure to infection in early childhood may actually help protect against getting leukaemia a few years later.