That's Not True!: Debunking Top Flu Myths

Ten popular influenza and flu vaccine myths.

Is There Enough Vaccine to Go Around? - According to reports, more than 128 million doses of flu vaccine have already been distributed, accounting for about 95 percent of what manufacturers planned to roll out this year. In some cities, demand for flu vaccinations has been so great that hospitals are turning people away and medical staff are encouraged to wear protective masks to minimize the risk of infection. (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Don’t Believe the Hype!  - With flu season starting, it’s really important to be able to separate fact from fiction. Read about 10 popular influenza and flu vaccine myths and why you shouldn’t believe the lies. — Kellee Terrell(Photo: Charles Krupa/AP Photo)

What Is the Flu? - Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Experts believe that flu virus “droplets” are spread when a person coughs, sneezes or talks and those flu germs are inhaled by others. Sometimes a person can be infected by touching a surface or object that has the flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth or nose.(Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

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The Flu Is Just a Severe Cold - The flu is NOT a severe cold — it is a serious respiratory disease that makes you feel absolutely terrible, brings on aches and pains, can develop into other illnesses such as bronchitis and can keep you out of commission for days and even weeks. But unlike the cold, the flu can kill. It kills more each year than complication of AIDS, says WebMD. (Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

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The Flu Vaccine Gives You the Flu - Despite potential cold-like symptoms afterwards, the flu vaccine does not make you sick. The injectable flu vaccine has a dead version of the virus, which is impossible to give you the flu. And even though the nasal flu vaccine has a live form of the virus, researchers have taken out the parts of the virus that make you sick. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Antibiotics Can Fight the Flu - So many of us want our docs to prescribe this type of medicine hoping it will help, but antibiotics don’t help with the flu because the flu is not an infection and is not caused by bacteria. However, having the flu lowers your immune system, which can make you more susceptible to illnesses such as sinusitis, bacterial bronchitis and pneumonia. All of these may require antibiotics for treatment. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Get Flu Vaccines; Causes Miscarriages - Actually a study found that flu vaccines protected pregnant women from miscarriages and stillborn deaths. Health experts recommend that pregnant women get the immunization because the flu causes “changes in immune system, heart and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women more prone to severe illness from flu,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(Photo: digitalskillet/GettyImages)

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The Flu Only Kills Older People - Yes, seniors are especially vulnerable to flu-related deaths, but a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that the flu can kill even healthy children. (Photo: Mark Bowden/Getty Images)

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The Flu Only Kills Older People - Yes, seniors are especially vulnerable to flu-related deaths, but a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that the flu can kill even healthy children. (Photo: Mark Bowden/Getty Images)

The Flu Vaccine Just Puts Billions in Big Pharm’s Pockets - It cannot be denied that the pharmaceutical companies do make a grip from flu vaccine sales, but let’s also remember that numerous respected public health agencies and mounds of studies done in reputable labs and universities believe that the vaccine is important to protecting our health. (Photo: Douglas Allen/Getty Images)

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The Flu Vaccine Just Puts Billions in Big Pharm’s Pockets - It cannot be denied that the pharmaceutical companies do make a grip from flu vaccine sales, but let’s also remember that numerous respected public health agencies and mounds of studies done in reputable labs and universities believe that the vaccine is important to protecting our health. (Photo: Douglas Allen/Getty Images)

Not Sweating the Small Stuff - Stable emotional and mental health is such an important part of maintaining overall good health. This year, I am not going to internalize negativity around me: Demanding people, unsupportive “friends,” unnecessary drama and stupidity on social media sites. Instead, I am going to channel that energy into my writing, films, activism and weight loss plan. (Photo: Image Source/Getty Images)

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Healthy Young Adults Don’t Need to Worry About the Flu - Being young and healthy may help you heal better from the flu, but that isn’t guaranteed. Getting vaccinated for the flu also protects the people around you who are more vulnerable to complications — babies, the sick and the elderly. (Photo: Image Source/Getty Images)

Drug Possibly Saves Ebola Patients - Two American missionary workers were given an experimental drug that might have saved their lives. After being administered the medication, Dr. Kent Brantley and Nancy Writebol reportedly began to do better. Biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical created the drug by first testing it in monkeys. Two out of four monkeys given the drug survived. Prior to its use on the American patients, the drug had not been tested on humans before. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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You Don’t Need the Flu Vaccine Every Year - Every year, the flu virus changes (mutates), so the vaccine you got last season may not protect you this season. The CDC encourages everyone to get vaccinated every year to address the diverse strains of the virus. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Why Is Ebola So Deadly? - One reason why Ebola is so deadly is because it completely attacks our immune system. Ebola kills our white blood cells, which makes it near impossible for our bodies to fight off the virus. This is what sets off the disease. (Photo:S TEVE GSCHMEISSNER/Getty Images)

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Fighting the Flu Strengthens Your Immune System - Never, ever. What having the flu does is make you more susceptible to other infections and other illnesses because it compromises your immune system. If you want to strengthen your immune system, try eating a balanced diet instead. (Photo:STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/Getty Images)

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You Can Catch the Flu From Being Outside in the Cold - Yes, flu season just happens to occur in the winter, but being in the cold has nothing to do with catching the flu. You catch the flu from coming into contact with the flu virus. To avoid the flu, stay away from others who are sick; wash your hands with soap and water; avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose when possible; and get vaccinated for the flu.  (Photo: Mint Images/Tim Robbins/Getty Images)