All about immunity

Although your household may be a clean environment, the germs children are exposed to at school, daycare, and other public places are unavoidable. The average American child has six to 10 colds a year. In fact, children's colds cause more doctor visits and missed school days than any other illness.

Although most childhood infections happen only once, the protection due to antibody production lasts much longer than any potential protection stimulated by a vaccine. What's interesting is that a mother can pass along antibodies through breast milk to protect her infant when she was infected 30 yea...