It is clearly not full airborne like the common cold or the flu, else half the world would now be infected. However, it is clearly somewhere in between that and what the Centers for Disease Transmission have staked ALL OF OUR LIVES ON, namely, “not transmissible by any means other than direct contact.
If the latter were true, how did the nurse in Dallas get it, despite being in a bio/hazmat suit? Aerosolized both makes sense from a medical POV and sounds “just right” in terms of splitting the difference...which bodes rather ill for the rest of us because it is more contagious than we thought (and that’s before additional mutations, which apparently occur in literally every body that is infected.
But there’s nothing going on here, nothing to see, just move on...says the Centers for Disease Transmission head, Dr. Friedenstein (B.S., M.S., A.S.S.H.O.L.E.)
While I don’t know what information sources to place trust in and those to be suspicious of when it comes to Ebola coverage, I do find it odd the CDC tells us the likelihood of spread is less because we are a more advanced society. As has been stated many times, the virus remains quite potent for several hours on a surface. Given our daily transportation systems that get us to work every day (train, bus, subway) seems to me the proximity requirement for spread of a disease is well satisfied.
Some pathogens are limited in the cell type and location they infect. Influenza, for example, is generally restricted to respiratory epithelial cells, which explains why flu is primarily a respiratory infection and is most likely aerosol transmissible. HIV infects T-helper cells in the lymphoid tissues and is primarily a bloodborne pathogen with low probability for transmission via aerosols.
Ebola virus, on the other hand, is a broader-acting and more non-specific pathogen that can impede the proper functioning of macrophages and dendritic cells—immune response cells located throughout the epithelium.15,16 Epithelial tissues are found throughout the body, including in the respiratory tract. Ebola prevents these cells from carrying out their antiviral functions but does not interfere with the initial inflammatory response, which attracts additional cells to the infection site. The latter contribute to further dissemination of the virus and similar adverse consequences far beyond the initial infection site.
The potential for transmission via inhalation of aerosols, therefore, cannot be ruled out by the observed risk factors or our knowledge of the infection process. Many body fluids, such as vomit, diarrhea, blood, and saliva, are capable of creating inhalable aerosol particles in the immediate vicinity of an infected person. Cough was identified among some cases in a 1995 outbreak in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo,11 and coughs are known to emit viruses in respirable particles.17 The act of vomiting produces an aerosol and has been implicated in airborne transmission of gastrointestinal viruses.18,19 Regarding diarrhea, even when contained by toilets, toilet flushing emits a pathogen-laden aerosol that disperses in the air.20-22
Experimental work has shown that Marburg and Ebola viruses can be isolated from sera and tissue culture medium at room temperature for up to 46 days, but at room temperature no virus was recovered from glass, metal, or plastic surfaces.23 Aerosolized (1-3 mcm) Marburg, Ebola, and Reston viruses, at 50% to 55% relative humidity and 72°F, had biological decay rates of 3.04%, 3.06%. and 1.55% per minute, respectively. These rates indicate that 99% loss in aerosol infectivity would occur in 93, 104, and 162 minutes, respectively.23 In still air, 3-mcm particles can take up to an hour to settle. With air currents, these and smaller particles can be transported considerable distances before they are deposited on a surface.
I agree completely and it makes more sense that if she used a plain face mask or even a N-95 face mask, it didn't provide protection for fine aerosol particles. So, she could have followed all CDC protocols and still got infected. The CDC needs to recognize the danger from not using proper respirators when working closely with these patients. Of course, stating that method of transmission (airborne in aerosols) would cause panic by those who see everyone with a cough as an Ebola victim. Therefore CDC and the other doctors on the networks (including Fox) have to continue with the non-airborne meme in spite of increasing evidence to the contrary.
(BTW, I used an air-purifying respirator last year in clearing out Hanta-virus carrying deer mice from my garage. That virus is about 50-70% fatal to those contracting it.)