Submitted by Esc_ape_artist t3_11asu19 in askscience
Dr_Vesuvius t1_j9xme1z wrote
Reply to comment by annaheim in Does the common flu vaccine offer any buffer against H5N1 (Bird Flu)? by Esc_ape_artist
No, not at all. Human-to-human transmission is not a biological component, like a human leg, but a biological process, like movement. There are many different things that go into human-to-human transmission, but it comes down to getting into the body, reproducing, and getting out again. There are many different ways to achieve those things. The flu is spread very differently to HIV, which is spread very differently to malaria, which is very different to Legionnaire’s Disease.
Edit: although to clarify, Legionnaire’s Disease isn’t usually spread human-to-human, and malaria is debatable. Cholera would be been a better example of a waterborne disease that enters through the digestive tract.
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