The Washington Post had an article discussing a study published yesterday in mBio. The study was a collaboration of scientists from UT's Medical School, the WHO, U of Minnesota, Canadian Public Health Service and others. The gist of the article is that it's likely that Ebola can be transmitted through the airborne route. Among the evidence cited was finding live Ebola viruses on the exterior face masks of health workers treating Ebola patients and showing that a different strain of Ebola has been documented to be transmitted between animals via the respiratory system. Ebola had its genesis in animals. The study emphasizes that this route of transmission is not a proven fact but the research indicates that it's very likely that airborne transmission can occur with Ebola. It is a fact that Ebola is transmitted via contact with bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, and diarrhea. It's also a fact that vomit and diarrhea can generate miniscule droplet nuclei containing Ebola. It's reasonable to deduce that these Ebola infused droplet nuclei can also be inhaled.
