Ebola airborne - The deadly virus, which has claimed the lives of over 4,000 people in West Africa and at least two others in western countries - including the US -, could be transmitted by suspended pathogens in the air, according to Dr. Jane Orient, the executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.
She has been quoted explaining that "What we're saying is that it is very dangerous to assume that one cannot ever acquire Ebola from an aerosol or from breathing."
Dr. Orient explained that particles of the pathogen could be trapped in air droplets for a considerably long time, thereby making Ebola airborne.
If this is indeed the case, waves of the wind could easily take Ebola airborne to unsuspecting victims. Until now several health organizations, including the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) have advised the public that nothing could make Ebola airborne as yet.
Dr. Orient has warned that there is a real threat to even health workers as facemasks cannot capture the minute Ebola airborne particles.
A recent report by the Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) confirms the claims of Dr. Orient. "We believe there is scientific and epidemiologic evidence that Ebola virus has the potential to be transmitted via infectious aerosol particles both near and at a distance from infected persons, which means that healthcare workers should be wearing respirators, not facemasks."
The center has therefore strongly urged "the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to seek funds for the purchase and transport of PAPRs [powered air-purifying respirators] to all healthcare workers currently fighting the battle against Ebola throughout Africa - and beyond.
With Ebola airborne, the risk of mass transmission beyond previous - alarming - estimates is also high. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) says about 8,997 people have become infected with the Ebola virus, while 4,493 have lost their lives to it. However, many pundits say this figures may be a gross underestimation of the actual extent of the outbreak.
