The holidays, cold weather and the flu. It’s an unfortunate combination, but all these things come around toward the end of the year.
And with the flu season in tow, there are also many myths involving the virus that people believe. Here are five of the most common flu myths about the virus and why you shouldn’t believe them:
You may have heard the phrase “herd immunity” when told why vaccinations are important. Not only does the method help those that are vaccinated, but can also keep diseases away from people without immunizations. The concept of herd immunity can be the best solution to prevent disease outbreaks.
But, what is it?
Herd immunity is the concept of protecting an entire community against a disease. This is done when the vast majority of the community is immune to a pathogen. As a result, the chance of a disease outbreak in the area decreases dramatically.
As we commemorate George Washington’s birthday today, it is interesting to note a little known fact about the first president: George Washington was one of the first political leaders to recognize the positive impact vaccines have.
A new book titled Gentleman Scientists and Revolutionaries: The Founding Fathers in the Age of Enlightenment by Tom Shachtman explains how George Washington pushed for his soldiers and the population at large to be vaccinated against smallpox during the Revolutionary War. At the time, however, this advocacy represented was a very radical position. There was no traditional vaccine at the time. Instead, a technique called variolation was used to promote disease immunity.
The practice of variolation called for the pus from an infected individual being inserted under the skin of an uninfected person. This would give the receiver a very mild case of the disease and, after surviving the mild case of the disease, the person would then be immune. It was a procedure that many founding fathers had gone through themselves, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson as well as Martha Washington.
Most people have an understandable fear of contracting rabies. This doesn’t mean all the ideas and anxiety toward rabies is founded. In fact, there are many misconceptions about what the virus actually is.
Rabies is a virus that’s transmitted from animals to humans through the the genus Lyssavirus, according to the World Health Organization.
There is a myth that rabies is usually transferred through rodents, but according to the WHO, 95 percent of deaths transfer via dogs.
An illness that was first discovered around 430 BC, typhoid has harmed and killed millions of people throughout history. The foodborne ailment claimed the lives of one-third of the Athenian population; many settlers in the English colony at Jamestown, VA; over six-thousand New World settlers; and countless soldiers in multiple wars. But, typhoid is just one of many foodborne killers. Indeed, hepatitis A also presents a significant threat. Also known as heptovirus A, this virus infects more than 1.4 million people each year.
