Recognizing Germ Denial

Table of Contents

• What Is Germ Denial?
• 8 Signs You Are Talking to a Germ Denier
• Bottom Line
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Germ Denial?

Germ theory is a foundational component of modern medicine. It states that many human diseases are caused by microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi—and that treating those microorganisms prevents these diseases. This idea has given us tools to prevent or treat illness, including vaccines, antibiotics, pasteurization, handwashing, and sterilization.

Germ denial, by contrast, is the rejection or minimization of this well-established theory. It comes in many forms, ranging from subtle skepticism to full-blown conspiracy. Some germ deniers call themselves “terrain theorists,” promoting the 19th-century view that disease only happens in people with a “damaged terrain” (i.e., poor internal health), not because of microbes.

8 Signs You Are Talking to a Germ Denier

1. They Claim “The Terrain” Is the Real Problem, Not Germs.

“If you’re healthy, you don’t need to worry about viruses.”

Germ deniers often argue that microbes alone cannot cause disease. Rather, people are only susceptible to infection and illness when they have poor nutrition, toxic exposures, or other underlying health conditions, such as diabetes or cancer.

They romanticize discredited Ideas like “miasma” or “terrain theory,” saying “Pasteur got it wrong, and Béchamp was right.” Antoine Béchamp was a 19th-century French biologist whose ideas about disease coming from inside the body were largely discredited in his own time.

The kernel of truth within these beliefs, of course, is that malnutrition and other health conditions do make people more susceptible to infection, severe illness, and death. But germs are necessary and sufficient on their own to cause disease in healthy persons.

Healthy people still get sick and die from infections, including meningitis, measles, and influenza. Sometimes healthy people require a higher dose of exposure to a bacteria or virus compared with a person who has underlying health conditions, but other times they do not. For example, there is no safe dose of exposure to HIV, rabies, or anthrax.

2. They Downplay Outbreaks or Blame the Victims

“Those kids who died of measles were malnourished anyway.”

This argument is inaccurate and cruel. Healthy children and adults die from infectious diseases every year. Minimizing their deaths allows germ deniers to preserve their worldview while erasing human suffering.

3. They Blame Toxins, Not Pathogens

“It’s the pollutants, not the virus, making people sick.”

Germ deniers often say environmental toxins, not pathogens, are the real culprits behind disease. This includes mercury, microplastics, food dyes, or 5G. While various non-infectious environmental exposures can be harmful and even deadly, invoking these in a discussion about infections is used to distract from the overwhelming evidence that microbes are a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Many exposures in our world can cause disease. When it comes to microbes or other environmental agents, the answer is “yes and” not “either or.”

4. They Say Lifestyle and Supplements Are Better Than Vaccines

“You don’t need a vaccine if you eat right and take supplements.”

This is perhaps the most widespread form of germ denial. People are told they don’t need vaccines if they eat right, exercise, and take the right supplements. It reframes public health as a matter of personal wellness.

Diet and exercise are essential for health, but they cannot replace vaccines, which train the immune system to prevent infection in the first place. The most effective immune-system booster we have is vaccination, i.e., exposing the body to a part of the microbe or a weakened version of a microbe so that they gain the benefits of exposure without the harms. They get an immune reaction that protects them against the disease without having to be get the disease itself.

Sure, if I’m hungry, I can eat a plate of uncooked meat to solve my hunger—but I’ll also get sick. Alternatively, I can cook the meat, solve my hunger, and not get sick. Which would you choose?

5. They Say Infections Are Good for You

“You need natural immunity from infections to be healthy in the future.”

Some germ deniers claim that getting infected is actually helpful, that “natural immunity” from disease is better than any vaccine.

The kernel of truth in this argument is that humans do need exposure to some microbes to develop a healthy immune system. We live in balance with trillions of microbes. Some of these microbes help train our immune system to understand when a bacteria or virus is a threat and when it is harmful or beneficial. Some of these directly benefit our health, as we are discovering with research on the microbiome.

But germ deniers blur the line between the beneficial microbes that live in our bodies and the dangerous ones that cause illness. A child does not need to be sick from measles, COVID-19, or meningitis to develop into a healthy adult.

Another trope worth discarding is that that exposure to a virus is somehow “natural” and vaccination is “unnatural.” Vaccines, just like viruses, bacteria, or pathogens, stimulate the body’s immune system and create a “natural” immune response.

6. They Suggest Infectious Disease Scientists Are Motivated Exclusively by Profit or Power

“Big Pharma invented germs to sell you drugs.”

This idea echoes anti-vaccine rhetoric: that scientists and public health officials promote germ theory to enrich themselves. In reality, the vast majority of infectious disease experts are public servants or academic researchers, primarily motivated by curiosity and compassion, not stock portfolios.

Of course, people who work on these diseases want to be paid for their work, but that is true of every sector in America, even people who do indisputable humanitarian work.

7. They Believe Public Health Measures Are a Form of Control

“Masks, lockdowns, and vaccines are just about control, not health.”

This conspiracy framework casts every infectious disease measure as a political power grab. It shifts the narrative from science to suspicion, appealing to people who already feel disempowered or distrustful of institutions.

Those of us who work in public health believe that health protection measures enhance freedom: they give us the freedom from infection and ill health, allowing us to walk, play, work, and gather more safely.

8. They Promote Unproven “Cures” or Supplements

“Vitamin A prevents measles better than the vaccine.”

When germ denialists do offer solutions, they often center on commercial supplements, detox regimens, or home remedies. These are sold as natural, empowering alternatives to medicine, but they’re rarely supported by evidence and can be harmful in high doses. Oddly, during COVID-19, there was an embrace of anti-microbial drugs, even those were made and continue to be made by “Big Pharma.”

Many of us suspect this is primarily because there is a way for individuals to profit off this misinformation. The drugs promoted by germ deniers are primarily agents with no proven efficacy against the disease they purport to treat, e.g., using a drug that treats parasites, like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, to treat a virus like COVID-19. Because these drugs are available in generic form, a proponent can set up an online pharmacy and sell them at a mark-up to susceptible people.

Bottom Line on Germ Denial and Germ Deniers

Germ denial often wears the mask of ‘wellness,’ ‘critical thinking,’ or ‘natural health.’ But at its core, it’s a rejection of the scientific method and the shared knowledge that has dramatically reduced suffering and extended life expectancy.

By recognizing the signs, you can better understand the cultural, social, and political challenges. At an individual level, you can decide whether to engage, correct, or walk away. In my next article, I’ll discuss techniques for talking to a germ denier.

Frequently Asked Questions