There was a time when certain diseases and viruses had a firm grip on society.

From polio to the Black Plague, some felt hopeless before modern medicine came in to help. One of those nearly forgotten diseases considered to be eradicated, tuberculosis, is still lingering.

As the disease proves more and more problematic, some myths have spread. In an effort to clean up some of these misconceptions, the medical community is working to educate and inform about TB. Here are the tuberculosis facts that you should remember, and the myths to avoid:

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Most people have an understandable fear of contracting rabies. This doesn’t mean all the ideas and anxiety toward rabies is founded. In fact, there are many misconceptions about what the virus actually is.

Rabies is a virus that’s transmitted from animals to humans through the the genus Lyssavirus, according to the World Health Organization.

There is a myth that rabies is usually transferred through rodents, but according to the WHO, 95 percent of deaths transfer via dogs.

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Influenza dates back approximately 2,400 years.

First mentions of the virus stretch to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. He was first person to accurately describe the virus’s symptoms, which mirrored any other respiratory infection.

As the virus spread, there was a need to name the illness.

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Global warming isn’t just affecting our environment and landscape, but also could influence the spread of disease.

A study from the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA) shows that there is a relationship between climate change and the spread of cholera.

The study shows that as natural disasters and temperatures increase, so do cholera cases. The deadly disease may spread worldwide along with global warming.

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Earlier this month, South Africa confirmed that it is experiencing an outbreak of listeriosis. So far, 36 people have died from the infection, with over 500 confirmed cases.

But what is listeriosis?

Listeriosis is an old infection that doctors have studied for decades. Within recent years, it has become more prevalent in animals and humans within the past 60 years.

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