# Did Native Americans get the flu or common colds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928 "2006-12-20T16:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/1 "2006-12-20T16:33:02Z")
I’m talking about prior to Euroean colonization of North America . . . I know that diseases such as small pox dessimated native populations. But dddddid Europeans also introduce colds and flu viruses, or did those already universally exist throughout the world? ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/2 "2006-12-20T17:06:33Z")
I don\*t know about colds, but it is my understanding that influenza was one of the diseases that killed many Native Americans in epidemics after 1492. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/3 "2006-12-21T23:27:31Z")
And it’s funny but pertinent, did Montezuma get Montezuma’s revenge? ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/4 "2006-12-21T23:57:48Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny] And it’s funny but pertinent, did Montezuma get Montezuma’s revenge? [/QUOTE] Like… E. Coli food poisoning? I’d guess he did, but I’m pretty sure we do not have accurate records for when, if ever, did Montezuma have the runs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/5 "2006-12-22T00:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=groman] Like… E. Coli food poisoning? I’d guess he did, but I’m pretty sure we do not have accurate records for when, if ever, did Montezuma have the runs. [/QUOTE] Damn, if only the Catholic priests hadn’t burned all those codices! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/6 "2006-12-22T00:24:58Z")
I’ve read that the Japanese invented papers for blowing your nose. I assume this was before European contact. I’d be very surprised if colds, flu and dysentry did not exist outside of Europe before 1492. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/7 "2006-12-22T00:29:20Z")
I have a book on plants of the Great Plains which lists a bunch of botanical remedies used by Native Americans for all sorts of things including various infections. While they were spared some bugs rampant among the Euros, they weren’t pathogen-free either. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/8 "2006-12-22T10:39:03Z")
The Native Americans carried a spectacular strain of syphillis - it caused a lot of bother when it got to Europe ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/9 "2006-12-22T15:34:11Z")
[QUOTE=FRDE] The Native Americans carried a spectacular strain of syphillis - it caused a lot of bother when it got to Europe [/QUOTE] Has it been reliably determined that it wasn’t the other way around? I’ve heard both versions. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/10 "2012-11-18T10:47:58Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’ve read that the Japanese invented papers for blowing your nose. I assume this was before European contact. I’d be very surprised if colds, flu and dysentry did not exist outside of Europe before 1492. Influenza virus came from China. Outside Eurasia. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/11 "2012-11-18T18:30:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Influenza virus came from China. Outside Eurasia. What actually killed the natives of America was zombiism. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/12 "2012-11-18T19:31:14Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Influenza virus came from China. Outside Eurasia. I thought China was part of [Eurasia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia)? Or did you mean Europe? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-americans-get-the-flu-or-common-colds/384928/13 "2012-11-18T21:15:03Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > I thought China was part of [Eurasia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia)? Or did you mean Europe? I think **AK84** might have meant “The flu originated in China. These diseases didn’t exist outside of Eurasia.” Which makes sense in context.