From the first attempts of teenage rebellion, we hear: “If you go without a hat, you will get meningitis.” Allergist-immunologist, member of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology Parviz Avizov dispelled a common myth on the air of a podcast “No hats”.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges caused by a meningococcal infection. Hypothermia does not lead to illness.
“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 will not 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 a carrier: relatives, especially small children, will not suffer.