Study warns of delayed flu outbreaks after pandemic ends
The positive steps we are taking to prevent disease might have a negative side effect.
13 November, 2020
Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
- A new study out of Princeton suggests that measures to prevent COVID-19 are also preventing certain other diseases.
- The nature of seasonal diseases means that people who avoid them this year may just be putting it off, leading to a large wave later.
- These estimates don't mean we should be less preventive now, only that we must be sure to take care in the future.
<p> As the United States continues to struggle with the pandemic, the proven effectiveness of face masks to reduce the rate and risk of infection continues to be underutilized. Places that have implemented mask and distancing mandates are seeing generally lower rates of transmission and infection than those without these mandates, as more fully explained <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/26/14857" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/tl-pss060120.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/21546014/mask-mandates-coronavirus-covid-19" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. <br> <br> However, one of the three iron laws of the cosmos is the law of unintended consequences; no matter what you do, there will be at least one.</p><p> As a study out of Princeton has just shown, this also applies to live-saving mask mandates. Given that many other diseases follow predictable cycles, a team of researchers has shown that the steps we're taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 now may lead to larger outbreaks of seasonal diseases later. <br> <br> Before we go any further, we want to make it clear that we are not telling you stop wearing a mask, social distancing, or taking all the precautions against catching and spreading COVID. The point of this study and this article is to make people aware of a side effect of these measures so that we can better deal with them later, not to suggest that these measures not be taken. </p>
<iframe width="730" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UFX9oS2kpUA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p> A team of researchers based out of Princeton published a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/11/06/2013182117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing the predictions of a model that estimates the after effects of our current efforts to avoid COVID-19.</p><p>As it turns out, Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and wearing masks help prevent more than just COVID-19. Instances of other diseases, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu, are also lower than they would otherwise be due to people taking these precautions. Cases of RSV may have declined by as much as a 20 percent already. </p><p> This makes a lot of intuitive sense. Your mask doesn't care what kind of virus it keeps you from exhaling towards other people; it stops all of them. If you stay inside to avoid catching a particular disease, you still avoid all of them. This kind of thing has happened before. The precautions taken during the 1918 flu pandemic probably reduced measles cases by a third. <br> <br> However, these diseases come back seasonally and will be there waiting for us when the current pandemic ends. This might be a bit of a problem, as lead author Rachel Baker <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/11/09/large-delayed-outbreaks-endemic-diseases-possible-following-covid-19-controls" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a>:<br> <br> "While this reduction in cases could be interpreted as a positive side effect of COVID-19 prevention, the reality is much more complex. Our results suggest that susceptibility to these other diseases, such as RSV and flu, could increase while NPIs are in place, resulting in large outbreaks when they begin circulating again."<br> <br> Think of it like this: As fewer and fewer people get these diseases due to our current mask and social distancing tendencies, fewer and fewer people have immunity to them. Immunity to RSV lasts only a few <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_syncytial_virus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">years</a>. If people who would have gotten it this year don't, they may contract and spread it next year when they aren't working so hard to avoid respiratory infections, along with all the other people who were likely to get it next year anyway for typical reasons. <br> <br> The model is less exact for the flu, given the number of variables affecting how contagious the flu is from year to year, but a similar principle applies. </p><p><br> There is a fair amount of uncertainty to these findings, as the authors admit. Outbreaks in some areas have been better studied than others. The behavior of these seasonal outbreaks is more thoroughly understood in Florida than in Minnesota, for example, and these predictions may not be as applicable there. The models are also highly dependent on what measures we take and when to fight COVID-19, and the worst-case ones rely on a lot of things happening in tandem. </p> So while we can't know exactly what that next flu season will look like, the essential finding of this study is that it is likely to be worse than it otherwise would be, everything else being equal. Various measures, such as getting more people vaccinated against the flu and keeping people home when they are sick with seemingly banal colds, will be necessary in the years to come. Hospitals should also brace for higher than average numbers of people coming in as a result of this.
Why you should still wear a mask
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3NDYzNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzc1ODM1Nn0.UNIHh2X2AtR6fq_fhAwejphFKIOY9J3lGFWgDf-R6oE/img.jpg?width=980" id="d681e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1dc1e7ee8c2f01ac128b4b48c1675510" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="960" data-height="1280" />A chart from another study on the effectiveness of masks and lockdowns. The grey line in the bottom two marks when mask mandates were imposed.
Credit: Zhang, Li, Zhang, and Molina
<p><br>Again, before you decide that this means mask mandates are just delaying some kind of reckoning, we can look at the numbers. Several <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/07/coronavirus-deadlier-than-many-believed-infection-fatality-rate-cvd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sources</a> agree <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that</a> the <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coronavirus</a> is <a href="https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-vs-flu-deaths-hospitalized-patients.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deadlier</a> than <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/flu-kills-more-people-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the </a><a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/flu-kills-more-people-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flu</a><a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/flu-kills-more-people-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.</a> We also don't have a vaccine for it yet, unlike for the flu, and keeping yourself and others from getting sick now remains extremely important for keeping people alive. </p><p> A friend of mine remarked at the beginning of the pandemic that certain events in society leave marks on the people in it, much like growth rings on a tree showing years of drought decades after it occurred. If the findings of this study are accurate, then COVID-19 will leave rings visible in seasonal outbreaks over the next few years alongside the slew of others it will create. <br></p><p>Given what this study shows us and the hard-learned lessons we have about what happens when you don't listen to scientists, maybe we'll do a better job at controlling those potential epidemics.</p>
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Credit: jchizhe / Adobe Stock
- A lot of hype surrounds vitamins and minerals for treating or preventing COVID-19, though little evidence exists.
- Vitamins C and D and zinc may help boost the body's response to the coronavirus, but likely only if you're deficient.
- Dozens of studies are currently investigating the potential use of these supplements on COVID-19 patients.
<p>Misinformation is rampant in regards to the novel coronavirus. In certain regards, this makes sense: it's <em>novel</em>. There's much to learn about treatments, immunity, and potential vaccines. While the virus seems overwhelming now, every pandemic has the same disorienting effect on the population. </p><p>Earlier this year, a cottage industry immediately emerged around supposed cures and interventions. Osteopath Joseph Mercola, who's built a vitamin empire while spouting numerous false claims, has <a href="https://cspinet.org/news/fda-and-ftc-urged-bring-enforcement-proceedings-against-joseph-mercola-false-covid-19-health" target="_blank">touted</a> at least 22 vitamins and supplements on his website that prevent and even cure COVID-19. Vitamin salesman David Wolfe peddles coated silver as a way to prevent coronavirus through "<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/author-david-wolfe-who-has-millions-social-media-followers-selling-coated" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">immunity</a>." </p><p>A strong immune system is important, during a pandemic and otherwise. The reality of immune-system building isn't sexy or highly marketable, but it is effective: eat a diet of balanced macronutrients low in processed foods and sugars; sleep seven to nine hours a night; hydrate regularly; move your body regularly; try not to stress out, and if you do, counter it with yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises. </p><p>The modern wellness industry cannot scale on basic science, however. And so we must endure false promises at every turn. </p><p>While lifestyle habits often lead to poor immune functioning, plenty of people suffer from genetic immunodeficiencies. As it turns out, this cohort could benefit from vitamins and minerals, especially if they're deficient. A <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-supplements-vitamins-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent report</a> investigates the efficacy of three popular supplements and their effects on COVID-19. For those lacking in vitamins C and D and zinc, a little boost could help.</p>
Can vitamin D help fight COVID-19?
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fefdc4c878af3febac545b6911ac1b66"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2nXgeJSJrc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Evidence for adding more of these vitamins on top of a balanced diet (and barring any deficiencies) is thin, however. Humans have long held a fascination with the idea that more is better. In the case of essential vitamins, it's all about balance. </p><p>A number of pro-vitamin D articles have been bouncing around social media. The argument: quarantining humans results in them not getting enough sunlight, which compromises their vitamin D levels. These opinion pieces are generally arguing against shutdowns, using this heavily-studied supplement as a wedge. </p><p>Vitamin D certainly helps your immune system. Deficiencies <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3308600/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are linked</a> to increased risk and severity of viral infections: "Interventional and observational epidemiological studies provide evidence that vitamin D deficiency may confer increased risk of influenza and respiratory tract infection." One <a href="https://eje.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/eje/183/5/EJE-20-0665.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> has linked vitamin D deficiency to difficulties fending off COVID-19. </p><p>If your body produces enough vitamin D, however, you don't need more. As Susan Lanham-New at the University of Surrey in England, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-supplements-vitamins-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says</a> "If you have enough vitamin D in your body, the evidence doesn't stack up to say that giving you more will make a real difference." Since too much of this vitamin has a negative impact, you want to keep your levels around 600-800 IU per day. Spending <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-from-sun#:~:text=Regular%20sun%20exposure%20is%20the,your%20skin%20is%20to%20sunlight." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 to 30 minutes outside a day</a>, a few days a week, is enough to satisfy requirements. Fish (such as salmon, trout, and swordfish) and fortified milk products also <a href="https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/appendix-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">help you reach</a> these levels. </p><p>Thus far, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246103/" target="_blank">studies</a> have shown that people deficient in vitamin D could use a boost. There are currently over a dozen studies testing high-doses of vitamin D in newly infected volunteers. As no results have been published, the verdict is still out.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY1OTA2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Nzc3MjQ0NX0.PiFyT7pYtOPsQJoINHKgDrAX7YsPjpKzB2Pt5SaNfs8/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C57%2C0%2C276&height=700" id="a0487" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5dd77131200162dc029d045ec5a66b13" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />
Photo: Right 3 / Adobe Stock
<p>Zinc has also been making the rounds, especially in conjunction with other treatments. If you regularly consume oysters, red meat, poultry, or beans, your body is likely sated. Taking zinc while you have a cold <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457799/" target="_blank">seems to help out</a> (provided you take it at the onset of the illness). Zinc lozenges <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e031662" target="_blank">don't fare as well</a>.</p><p>Zinc was on everyone's mind as an additive to hydroxychloroquine. While the latter treatment <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-no-evidence-treatment" target="_blank">didn't live up</a> to the hype, zinc supplementation <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01712/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bestows immune benefits</a> based on SARS research (which is also a coronavirus). At the moment, it <a href="https://www.ccjm.org/content/early/2020/06/08/ccjm.87a.ccc046" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">appears</a> that zinc reduces the duration of COVID-19, though not the severity of symptoms. Loading up isn't the best idea, as too much zinc <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/#:~:text=Signs%20of%20too%20much%20zinc,the%20%22good%22%20cholesterol)." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">could cause</a> nausea, vomiting, stomach problems, and if taken for an extended duration, lower immunity. But if you start to feel sick, zinc might not be a bad idea. </p><p>Linus Pauling famously—some would say <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7547741/vitamin-c-myth-pauling" target="_blank">infamously</a>—touted the benefits of vitamin C. The two-time Nobel Prize winner went a bit overboard with his passion for this vitamin. That said, due to his work, vitamin C is now extensively studied (and sometimes overused). </p><p>The popular antioxidant provides an immune boost and reduced inflammation, both important when you're battling a virus. While you can take supplements, plenty of fruits and vegetables contain what you need. </p><p>Experts <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-supplements-vitamins-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warn</a> that studies on vitamin C produce contradictory results. As an inexpensive intervention, upping your levels when you have a cold can't really hurt. A dozen or so studies are currently looking at the possibility of using vitamin C to treat COVID patients. As with the previous supplements, too much vitamin C produces unwanted side effects. In the coming months, researchers will have a clearer idea of its potential role in COVID-19 treatment. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a>. His new book is</em> "<em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KRVMP2M?pf_rd_r=MDJW43337675SZ0X00FH&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy</a>."</em></p>
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Wuhan coronavirus confirmed to be transmissible between humans
The new strain of coronavirus that has spread across Asia is causing concern ahead of China's Lunar New Year.
21 January, 2020
(Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
- A new strain of the coronavirus — similar to SARS — is spreading across China and to nearby countries, including the U.S..
- Although it's relatively early on, the virus appears to be fairly infectious and capable of human-to-human transmission, a serious concern given the many travelers expected to visit China for the upcoming Lunar New Year.
- The World Health Organization intends to convene an emergency committee in the near future to determine whether the outbreak should be considered a public health emergency of international concern.
<p><br></p></div>
<p>Chinese officials recently confirmed that a new SARS-like virus is capable of human-to-human infection. The virus has killed at least six people so far and has left nearly <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/21/asia/china-china-coronavirus-sars-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">300 more sick</a>.</p><p>Wuhan, where the virus was first detected, has canceled its upcoming Lunar New Year celebration over concerns about the hundreds of thousands of visitors that would visit the city and potentially spread the virus to other parts of the world.</p><p>The virus has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51171035" target="_blank">already begun</a> to spread — the respiratory illness has been detected in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzen, as well as in Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Taiwan. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the virus has appeared in the U.S. as well. A male traveler in Snohomish County, Washington state, reached out to local health facilities after he began presented <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/21/cdc-to-announce-first-us-case-of-china-coronavirus-that-has-killed-6-cnn-reports.html" target="_blank">pneumonia-like symptoms</a> on January 15th. <br></p><p>The spread has also been encouraged by the less-than-rapid response from the Chinese government, which only began checking travelers' temperatures on January 14th despite learning of the virus in mid-December. Furthermore, millions of visitors are expected to travel to China for the Lunar New Year, presenting an opportunity for the virus to spread even further.</p>
A new coronavirus
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjU5NzEzMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NTk1OTg0NH0.14IUn9DLTCkD-vnqXUAlCPOkdMrwFSF6VR5XzbnaHqM/img.jpg?width=980" id="d59f6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af677aaa3088023d298de6c245fc767c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Wuhan coronavirus" />A photo of the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, which has been linked to several cases of the coronavirus.
Getty Images
<p>The virus resembles SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which killed 774 people in 2002 and 2003 across several Asian countries. Like SARS, the new virus is a coronavirus, so-named because of the bulbous projections encircling the viroid that resemble a royal crown or a solar corona. The Wuhan coronavirus, dubbed <em>2019-nCoV</em>, appears to be an entirely novel strain that has not been detected in humans before. Scientists believe that the virus's primary source was an animal, but it is clear now that the virus is capable of spreading between humans, causing fever, shortness of breath, a cough, and other respiratory issues. </p><p>There is evidence to suggest that the disease could be highly infectious as well; one patient is believed to have infected 14 medical professionals in the hospital where they were being treated.</p>China's and the WHO's response
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjU5OTE0Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODk4NjIzMH0.CZDtlFh_ayJ4FXeDtNXhTQza7Dpni-2H-JIKnfcQaXo/img.jpg?width=980" id="2cc39" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="32f52a537e4f23ce86c64eee0518e7c1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="microscopic view of coronavirus by the CDC" />Handout photo from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a microscopic view of the coronavirus. According to the CDC.
(Photo by CDC/Getty Images)
<p>Although some have criticized the Chinese response as being sluggish, it has acted far more quickly than it did during the 2002 SARS outbreak. After the SARS virus first appeared, the Communist Party of China discouraged state media from reporting on the virus and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/27/world/china-raises-tally-of-cases-and-deaths-in-mystery-illness.html" target="_blank">delayed in reporting information</a> to the World Health Organization (WHO) for months.</p><p>That being said, there is some concern that the Chinese government is underreporting the figures associated with the disease. In an interview with <em><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/18/asia/china-coronavirus-study-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a></em>, researcher Neil Ferguson claimed that the number of cases outside of China suggest that more individuals are infected than is being reported. "We calculate," he said, "based on flight and population data, that there is only a 1 in 574 chance that a person infected in Wuhan would travel overseas before they sought medical care. This implies there might have been over 1,700 cases in Wuhan so far."</p><p>"There are many unknowns," continued Ferguson, "meaning the uncertainty range around this estimate goes from 190 cases to over 4,000. But the magnitude of these numbers suggests that substantial human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out. Heightened surveillance, prompt information sharing and enhanced preparedness are recommended."</p><p>The WHO plans to convene an emergency committee on January 22<sup>nd</sup> to determine whether the outbreak can be considered a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, which is <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/what-are-the-international-health-regulations-and-emergency-committees" target="_blank">defined</a> as "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response." A similar determination was made regarding the 2002 SARS outbreak.</p><p>Under <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/2178" target="_blank">international health regulations</a>, the declaration of a PHEIC requires states to respond quickly to the emergency. While it is characterized as a last resort, declaring a PHEIC in and of itself offers the WHO few powers beyond the ability to form an advisory <a href="https://www.who.int/ihr/procedures/pheic/en/" target="_blank">emergency committee</a> on the crisis.</p><p>Given that Wuhan is a city of 11 million people and that the virus has already spread beyond China's borders, such a declaration seems merited. With a PHEIC in place, hopefully the WHO will be able to work with the Chinese government to minimize the spread of the disease prior to the upcoming <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/20/virus-china-coverup-government-how-scared-should-you-be-of-the-wuhan-coronavirus/" target="_blank">Lunar New Year</a>.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjU5OTE2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDA1NjIyNn0.T7Xi5TxZQP89sRIl8jmF6FKwcnIzQcpX5xqz_3ro0Us/img.jpg?width=980" id="dc12a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2adb1942390bb007cee366348851acd3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="coronavirus" />
A notice for passengers from Wuhan, China is displayed near a quarantine station at Narita airport in Japan. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recently confirmed its first case of pneumonia infected with a new coronavirus from Wuhan City, China.
Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
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Your Brain Is Way Better At Detecting and Avoiding Sick People Than Scientists Thought
A new study indicates that the brain can detect and help avoid diseases in others through the senses of sight and smell alone.
02 June, 2017
A photo comparison used in the study.
Humans are way better at detecting and avoiding sick people than previously thought. So good, in fact, that our brains can detect disease in others before it even breaks out.
<p><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2017/05/17/1617357114.DCSupplemental/pnas.201617357SI.pdf" target="_blank">A new study</a> from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that our brains use sight and smell to detect subtle cues in others that signal latent and manifest disease. What's more, we actually <em>act </em>on these cues to avoid infection as part of our survival instinct.</p> <p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODMzOTYyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDQzNTQ4MH0.mtKY4fk2OJed9vtPMTJtjES_l_Dz_pm1dwBj4xn-4-0/img.jpg?width=980" id="e9a82" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="374663d45ce608a7bf4e61d257880e68" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></p> <p><em>(<a href="https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/avoiding-sick-people/" target="_blank">Source</a>)</em></p> <p><span>In the study, researchers exposed one group of participants to a small amount of harmless bacteria. This activated the immune response in participants and caused them to briefly develop symptoms of the disease like fever, pain and tiredness. </span>During this time, researchers photographed the temporarily infected participants and took samples of their body odor. </p> <p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODMzOTYyOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjAxMzA3MH0.0IQLwZz4RPRL7fhvTaaXQpRQ48WK2IhFwskSgoXwK6A/img.png?width=980" id="a6cd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8777ddca398d7fd5566d7a4e53bffddb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></p> <p>A second group was presented with the body odor samples and photographs of the sick participants, along with those of healthy people for control, and was asked to rate each individual based on <em>perceived health, attractiveness and desired social interaction</em> with them. Using only the photographs and smell samples for reference, the second group demonstrated a <em>statistically significant ability to detect people with latent disease and perceive them less favorably.</em></p> <blockquote>
<p>"Our study shows a significant difference in how people tend to prefer and be more willing to socialize with healthy people than those who are sick and whose immune system we artificially activated," <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170524084650.htm" target="_blank">said</a> study author Mats Olsson, a professor at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Clinical Neuroscience. "We can also see that the brain is good at adding weak signals from multiple senses relating to a person's state of health."</p>
</blockquote> <p>Still, our innate sense of pathogen avoidance is complex and social factors seem to also play a big role in determining how we avoid sick people.</p> <blockquote>
<p>"Common sense tells us that there should be a <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721411402596" target="_blank">basic behavioral repertoire</a> that assists the immune system," <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170524084650.htm" target="_blank">said</a><span> Olsson. "</span>Avoidance, however, does not necessarily apply if you have a close relationship with the person who is ill. For instance, there are few people other than your children who you'd kiss when they have a runny nose. In other words, a disease signal can enhance caring behavior in close relationships. With this study, we demonstrate that the brain is more sensitive to those signals than we once thought."</p>
</blockquote> <p><span>Want to see how sensitive your brain is to those signals—er, to the visual ones at least? Look at these photos of a study participant and pick the one in which she's sick.<br></span></p> <p><span><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODMzOTYzMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzM5MTg5OH0._X06jyG8nrlcH74e9eASPzcDZ2nkV1dmDad5eNOt4w4/img.png?width=980" id="99e62" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a9b98133250d760f8dafb7ba251a7df8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><br><br>Done guessing? She was sick in the photo on the right.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <div class="video-full-card-placeholder" data-slug="dont-fear-bacteria-in-your-food" style="border: 1px solid #ccc;">
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