How long does the virus stay active if shed in seats, and other plane spaces?
The plane made 26 flights
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/10/ebola_patients_amber_joy_vinso.html
The plane made 26 flights
There would be a risk for people on those flights, especially those shortly after hers. Even without disinfection the plane would not be harboring ebola now.
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Filoviruses have been reported capable to survive for weeks in blood and can also survive on contaminated surfaces, particularly at low temperatures (4°C). One study could not recover any Ebolavirus from experimentally contaminated surfaces (plastic, metal or glass) at room temperature. In another study, Ebolavirus dried onto glass, polymeric silicone rubber, or painted aluminum alloy is able to survive in the dark for several hours under ambient conditions (between 20°C and 25°C and 30–40% relative humidity) (amount of virus reduced to 37% after 15.4 hours), but is less stable than some other viral hemorrhagic fevers (Lassa). When dried in tissue culture media onto glass and stored at 4 °C, Zaire ebolavirus survived for over 50 days. This information is based on experimental findings only and not based on observations in nature. This information is intended to be used to support local risk assessments in a laboratory setting.http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/ebola-eng.php
The toilet seats used by Ms. Vinson, at the terminals for all her airline flights, should be a concern for females who traveled on the same days and within hours of Ms. Vinson’s flights.
I’m guessing that, Ms. Vinson was more careful about that on the route home to Dallas.