MYTH: Swine flu first appeared in the United States in April 2009.
This is untrue. Swine flu was first identified in 1930. In 1976, two soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey were infected with swine flu, according to the CDC.
MYTH: Madonna has swine flu. Salma Hayak has swine flu, too.
Both are untrue. As of April 29, 2009, these statements were making the rounds in e-mail spam, but neither of these entertainers received a swine flu diagnosis. You can learn more about this rumor from NBC Washington.
MYTH: Swine flu is really just germ warfare begun by America's enemies.
This is untrue. There are a handful of conspiracy theory blogs suggesting that swine flu is just a test to see if bioterrorism works. But if it were true, then it would not have begun in Mexico and it would not have spread to so many other countries at the same time it appeared in the United States.
CNN's Empowered Patient has some good information and commentary on these conspiracy theories about swine flu.
MYTH: Texas won't get swine flu assistance from the federal government.
This is untrue. It came from a joke Craig Ferguson told on his late night TV show. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, did suggest that Texas should secede, but the suggestion was never taken seriously and it has nothing to do with swine flu.
MYTH: You can't get swine flu by touching money.
You CAN get swine flu from touching money, according to Smart Money.
When someone who is infected with a virus touches money, the germs may survive on that money for quite awhile. The money gets spent, gets put into cash register drawers with other money and may transfer to it, etc. Read the Smart Money article for more information.
