Myth: Influenza is merely a nuisance.
Fact: Influenza is a major cause of illness and death in the United States and leads to an average of about 36,000 deaths and 114,000 hospitalizations per year.

Myth:  Flu can’t kill you or cause any other serious problems.
Fact: More than 35,000 Americans will die each year from complications of the flu.  Influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia together are the 6th leading cause of death in Americans over age 65.  In addition, some experts believe that one of the long-term complications of the flu may be chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating condition that affects approximately 500,000 Americans.

Myth: Flu shots cause the flu.
Fact: The licensed injectable flu vaccine used in the United States, which is made from inactivated or killed flu viruses, cannot cause the flu and does not cause flu illness.

Myth:  If I take echinacea, I don’t have to worry.
Fact: In clinical studies, echinacea was found to be as effective as placebo in preventing colds and the flu.  Some studies suggest that this herb improves immune function and may reduce the severity and duration of a cold, not the flu.

Myth:  I take Vitamin C; I have nothing to worry about.
Fact: While there is a belief that Vitamin C may reduce the frequency, severity and duration of colds, this has not been proven in clinical trials. 

Myth: A bowl of chicken soup and hot toddies can help cure a cold.
Fact: Chicken soup has no power to cure a cold. However, hot liquids can soothe a scratchy throat or a cough. Hot toddies should also be avoided during a cold. Alcoholic beverages can increase the body's chance of dehydration, and therefore make symptoms worse.

Myth: It is best to starve a cold and feed a fever.
Fact: Neither of these is a good remedy. When fighting a cold or fever, the body needs plenty of fluids from water or juices and enough food to satisfy an appetite.

Myth: Flu vaccine doesn’t work.
Fact: Not exactly.  When the viruses in the vaccine and circulating viruses are similar, the flu shot is very effective. There are several reasons why people think influenza vaccine doesn't work. People who have gotten a flu vaccination may then get sick from a different virus that causes respiratory illness but is mistaken for flu; the flu shot only prevents illness caused by the influenza virus.  In addition, protection from the vaccine is not 100%. Studies of healthy young adults have shown flu vaccine to be 70% to 90% effective in preventing the flu. In the elderly and those with certain long-term medical conditions, the flu shot is often less effective in preventing illness. However, in the elderly, flu vaccine is very effective in reducing hospitalizations and death from flu-related causes.

Myth: There is no need to get a flu vaccine every year.
Fact: The flu viruses are constantly changing.  Generally, new influenza virus strains circulate every flu season, so the vaccine is changed each year.

Myth:  It’s too late to get the flu vaccine this season.
Fact: It takes 4-6 weeks for the vaccine to build sufficient flu-fighting antibodies.  If you get the vaccine right away, you may be able to prevent this season’s flu, which peaks between Dec. and March.

Myth:  The vaccine is only for seniors.
Fact: The flu vaccine is for anyone at risk.

Myth:  Only old people get bad flu.
Fact: People of all ages get flu. People over 65 do have less protective immune systems just as do children under 12.  Both age groups may experience more severe symptoms as a result.  Several other groups are at high risk as well.

Myth:  Influenza is the same every year.
Fact: The influenza virus changes every year. Sometimes new strains develop which even seriously affect the healthy. Two particularly deadly mutations in the influenza virus caused the 1918 Spanish Flu, which killed 500,000 people, and the Asian flu in 1957-58, which killed 70,000 people in the U.S. alone. Type A Sidney, new in the 1997-98 flu season, appeared to be responsible for doubling the flu’s death toll last year.   Some researchers are warning that we are overdue for another major flu epidemic in the near future.

Myth:  It’s easy to know when you have the flu.
Fact: Influenza is actually difficult to diagnose without a test. Specialists trained in recognition of influenza will typically diagnose influenza correctly only a third of the time. In patients that later prove to have influenza, doctors often make a diagnosis of a bacterial illness like sinusitis, pharyngitis or bronchitis nearly two out of three times. These diagnoses, of course, lead to treating patients with antibiotics. Inaccurate diagnosis is the common reason for overuse of antibiotics and the related complications.

Myth:  There is no way for doctors to diagnose influenza for sure.
Fact: A new rapid throat swab test that is 99.9% accurate for influenza prevents the wrong diagnosis and subsequent antibiotic usage.

Myth:  The flu vaccine is expensive.
Fact: Because this is such a contagious threat to the public heath, many public health departments give the vaccine for free to those at high risk and at greatly reduced cost ($5-$10) for all others.  There are vaccine days at malls and town halls.  Call your local municipality for further information.  In addition, if your physician gives you your vaccine, it is covered by Medicare, as well as by most insurance carriers for those at increased risk.

Myth:  I got vaccinated last year, so I don’t need to go again.
Fact: The dominant strains of the flu are different each year and the vaccine also differs each year.

Myth:  I’ve already had the flu this year. I can’t get it again.
Fact: Not necessarily.  You may have had one strain of the flu and later get the other!

Myth: Spending time outside in cold weather can cause a cold or flu.
Fact: Exposure to cold weather does not bring on a cold or flu. It can, however, cause pneumonia, which can come about when someone already has the flu. This is the most serious complication of the flu and is more likely to occur in the elderly and those immune systems that have been weakened by other medical conditions.

Myth: It is possible to catch the flu from a flu shot.
Fact: The flu vaccine is made from an inactive virus, so it is impossible to get the flu from it. Some people may be sore where the vaccine is injected and may feel unwell for a couple of days with fever and muscle aches. Anyone who is acutely ill with fever or is allergic to egg or another component of the vaccine should not get the flu shot.

Myth: An upset stomach is a symptom of the flu.
Fact: Stomach distress is rarely a symptom of the flu. Other viruses, bacteria and food poisoning are more common causes of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.