QUESTION:
Can your toothbrush re-infect you with the flu?
ANSWER:
No, your toothbrush will not lead you to be reinfected with the flu again.
SOURCES:
American Dental Association, CDC, Dr. Christopher Ohl: Infectious Disease Specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
PROCESS:
We all know we're supposed to change our toothbrush about every three months but what about after you had the flu?
This viral Facebook post with more than 2,000 shares and 1,000 comments warns your toothbrush can reinfect you with gross germs and putting you at risk to another trip to sick town again, so is it true? We'll verify.
We first went to the American Dental Association. They set the record straight right on their website, unless your immune system is severely compromised, the chances of re-infecting yourself are very low.
Next, we checked with an infectious specialist who says once you have a flu virus, your body builds up an immunity, so when it comes to your toothbrush, Dr. Christopher Ohl, an Infectious Disease Specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center said ,"If you put a virus on there and it was one you were just recovering from you can't re-catch it back so there would not be a cycle of getting the same cold over and over and over or the flu over and over."
And according to the CDC, there's over 200 viruses that can cause a cold, so the chances you'll get you the same exact sickness again is very unlikely.
This viral post is false, your toothbrush is not going to reinfect again you with the flu. But an important side note – that toothbrush could infect your family! If someone in your house has the flu, keep their toothbrush away from everyone else's to keep that yucky virus from being passed between brushes.
But if you’re still skeptical about flu germs still hiding on your toothbrush when you were sick, toothpaste company Colgate as well as the American Dental Association say it doesn't hurt to toss it out and get a new toothbrush.
