From the first attempts at adolescent rebellion we hear: “If you go without a hat, you will get meningitis”. Allergist-immunologist, member of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Parviz Avizov debunked a common myth on the air in a podcast “No hats”.
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges caused by a meningococcal infection. Hypothermia does not lead to disease.
“Cold doesn’t cause meningitis, that’s a myth. <...> If it’s minus 20 outside, you put on a hat because it’s just cold. It won’t protect against infection, ”says the doctor.
The only way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease. Vaccination increases immunity in adults, but the risk of infection remains. The vaccine makes it possible not to become carriers: relatives, especially small children, will not suffer.
