MYTHBUSTERS ONE HEALTH

Myth: Efforts to “flatten the curve” failed during the pandemic because the SARS-CoV-2 virus could not be completely eliminated.

Fact: “Flattening the curve” was a public health strategy that was publicized to help prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from overwhelming the U.S. healthcare system:

Some countries like South Korea did successfully “flatten the curve”, buying time for treatments and vaccines. They accomplished this largely through extensive testing, contact tracing, and early, rigorous treatment (Am J Epidemiol 2020). However, other factors such as asymptomatic spread, increased transmissibility of latter variants, and the broad host range for SARS-CoV-2 prevented complete elimination of the virus (EID - Emerging Coronavirus Hosts). Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not known that the virus could infect a variety of mammals such as deer, big cats, mink, and companion animals (USDA - SARS-CoV-2 in Animals). The pandemic highlighted the importance of taking a One Health approach for surveillance, prevention, and response efforts through multisectoral collaboration, harmonization of diagnostic testing procedures, and sharing of resources and data.

Myth: Egg prices soared in 2025 due to some corporate conspiracy fueled by greed, inflation, or artificially created shortages.

Fact: Egg prices reached new highs in 2025 because of the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) which began in 2022 and has resulted in the culling of over 173 million birds between February 2022 and May 2025 (USDA - HPAI Confirmations). Prior to this, there was a major outbreak in 2014-2015 which resulted in the culling of over 50 million birds over a 7 month period (USDA - 2014-2015 HPAI Final Report). Egg prices increased more than meat prices because more egg layers were affected overall and because meat birds tend to be younger than egg layers. It takes longer to re-establish a flock of layers after depopulation (~5 months) than meat birds (~6-7 weeks), and older birds tend to be more susceptible to the virus (Congress - HPAI Outbreak 2022-Present). Like SARS-CoV-2, HPAI (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b) can infect a wide array of mammals including dairy cattle, domestic cats, and even marine mammals such as seals and dolphins and requires a One Health approach for effective outbreak response.

Myth: Viruses spread by mosquitoes are not a threat because mosquito vectors can be easily controlled with pesticides.

Fact: Mosquitoes are becoming increasingly resistant to pesticides. Mosquitoes that survive pesticide treatment can pass this ability on to their offspring increasing the total number of pesticide-resistant mosquitoes over time. Pesticides targeting mosquitoes usually fall under one of two categories: larvicides, which are more common, and adulticides (Pesticide Resistance Monitoring Program). Studies have demonstrated widespread resistance to Methoprene and varying levels of resistance for other larvicides such as Lysinibacillus sphaericus and Spinosad in both Culex and Aedes mosquito species. Mosquitoes carry zoonotic viruses such as West Nile, eastern equine encephalitis and Cache Valley viruses, making vector control an important One Health issue. Monitoring for pesticide resistance is critical with rising resistance rates and the expansion of mosquito habitats. 

(Pesticide Resistance Monitoring Program)