There have been reports of YouTubers I watch getting sick after eating food in third world countries. However, these countries are also home to a large number of people who do not get sick from eating the same food. I think this suggests that the locals may have developed stronger immune systems. What do you think?

  • janonymous@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    1 year ago

    Not necessarily, it is likely that a tourist is just not used to these specific pathogens. While the people living there are used to them. So their immune system isn’t better per se just more adapted to the environment.

    • ThrowThrowThrewaway8@vlemmy.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Also “survivorship bias” sadly plays a part in this. The healthcare is low quality or nonexistent. Everyone seems to have an excellent immune system because most everyone that didn’t… died.

      • eu@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Not sure what country you’re talking about but as someone born and raised in a third-world country with free, universal healthcare I can tell you I’m offended.

        • ThrowThrowThrewaway8@vlemmy.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          Man I really think this highlights how badly we need to stop using the word third-world. Thanks for pointing that out. It is antiquated and just used arbitrarily these days. I was trying to convey war-torn countries, countries with too much unrest to support a universal healthcare system, etc. Those descriptions are not descriptive of every third-world country.

        • Confused_Idol@lemmy.fmhy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          Depends on what part of the 3rd world we are talking about. Majority of African nations for example do not have UHC yet. Asia is a better off in this regard but not the entire continent.

    • all-knight-party@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Same sort of idea if you went to a small culture in a third world country who isn’t used to eating any fast food, and gave them McDonald’s. They’d be diarrheaing all over the place because they’re not used to it.