“Being in day care as an infant increased a child’s risk of having acute gastroenteritis in the first year of life, but it also had a protective effect after that.” Are we better off being exposed to more germs and even a few illnesses early in life? Some studies suggest that, even as we seem to be on quest to be cleaner and more germ-free than ever, we’re better off getting a little dirty. From the NYT: Day Care Infections May Mean Fewer Sick Days Later.