“Airborne” in this context means to be carried by the air.
droplets are not “carried by the air”. They are light enough to travel several feet through the air before falling.
So for a analogy that isn’t quite accurate but would explain the difference — Pollen is “airborne”, it travels long distances. A bullet is not airborne, even though it might travel a good distance.
If Ebola was Airborne, there would be hundreds of thousands of dead people.
The difference between airborne and droplet spread, practically speaking: If there is a person about to die of Ebola, you can stand in the opposite corner of a 10x10 foot room with no protection, and not get sick.
If there is a person suffering from TB, and you stand in that opposite corner, you are almost certain to catch TB.
Because TB gets into the air and circulates throughout the room and you breathe it in. Ebola is in the fluids, and if you stand far enough away, the fluids are not going to reach you.
M. tuberculosis is carried in airborne particles, called droplet nuclei, of 1– 5 microns in diameter. Infectious droplet nuclei are generated when persons who have pulmonary or laryngeal TB disease cough, sneeze, shout, or sing. Depending on the environment, these tiny particles can remain suspended in the air for several hours. M. tuberculosis is transmitted through the air, not by surface contact. Transmission occurs when a person inhales droplet nuclei containing M. tuberculosis, and the droplet nuclei traverse the mouth or nasal passages, upper respiratory tract, and bronchi to reach the alveoli of the lungs