Forest kindergarten

Question

Dear Expert Team,

our little daughter (13 months) is a CF patient. She mainly has digestive problems (two intestinal obstructions already). So far, she has not had any severe infections and her lung is clear. Nevertheless, she inhales saline solution twice a day. We are now considering enrolling her in a forest kindergarten. On the one hand, we were thinking of the lots of exercise outdoors; on the other hand we thought that the children might not contract infections from each other so easily.

However, we are not quite sure whether there might be an increased risk of germs in the forest. From your point of view, would there be any concerns about a forest kindergarten?

Many thanks for your answer.

Answer

Dear parents,

there are widespread concerns about contracting problem germs in everyday life, of which kindergarten is a part. Indeed, there are fungi present in the forest soil, for example. However, there have been no studies proving that spending time in the yard or forest constitutes an increased risk of contracting germs. Concerning the fungi, the allergic reaction to Aspergillus fumigatus is often debated. Whoever has been diagnosed with it should avoid places with a degree of fungi (e.g. compost piles). This, however, only concerns patients who have shown allergic reactions. Therefore, I would not keep your child from visiting the forest kindergarten.

Kind regards,

Dr. Manfred Ballmann

15.01.2009