This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

Ebola Virus Is More Likely to Spread through Aerosols – and Survive Longer – When It’s Cold

George Washington's picture




 

A British government defense lab finds that Ebola can last up to 50 days in the cold.

The Daily Mail reports:

The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found that the Zaire strain [of Ebola] will live on samples stored on glass at low temperatures for as long as 50 days.

The left-hand charts plot survival rates of Zaire strain of Ebola (Zebov) and Lake Victoria marburgvirus (Marv) on glass (a) and plastic (b) at 4° (39°F) over 14 days. The right-hand charts reveal the survival rate under the same conditions over 50 days. Both viruses survived for 26 days, and Ebola was extracted after 50 days

The left-hand charts plot survival rates of Zaire strain of Ebola (Zebov) and Lake Victoria marburgvirus (Marv) on glass (a) and plastic (b) at 4° (39°F) over 14 days. The right-hand charts reveal the survival rate under the same conditions over 50 days. Both viruses survived for 26 days, and Ebola was extracted after 50 days.

 

The tests were initially carried out by researchers from DSTL before the current outbreak, in 2010, but the strain investigated is one of five that is still infecting people globally.

 

The findings are also quoted in advice from the Public Agency of Health in Canada.

Temperatures of 39°F or colder are common in the U.S., Canada and much of Europe during the winter.

Top Ebola scientists also say that the virus is more likely to be spread by aerosol in cold, dry conditions than in hot, humid weather.

(Given that sneeze droplets can travel 20 feet, that’s nothing to sneeze at.)

Indeed, the British defense study cited above also found:

***

 

All three filoviruses under investigation [Ebola is a type of filovirus] could be detected after 90 min in a dynamic aerosol (Fig. 4a)

In other words – even after 90 minutes – Ebola could survive suspended in aerosols if the temperature is chilly.

The amount of Ebola which survives in aerosol obviously diminishes with time:

However, since MIT has recently shown that sneeze droplets travel much farther than previously thought – and can enter into ventilation systems – Ebola protocols need to take these realities into account.

This is the first time that Ebola has spread out of West Africa to cooler, dryer nations … so we can’t assume that what works in the hotzone will work here.

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Wed, 10/29/2014 - 10:31 | 5389599 Emergency Ward
Emergency Ward's picture

Tropical diseases always spread faster in Antarctica.

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 09:03 | 5389300 pupdog1
pupdog1's picture

Now the word is that Obola will be flying in all kinds of noncitizen bat-munchers to the USA for treatment. $300k a pop, they say.

I don't think my feckless congresscritter is going to be paying for it out of his retirement plan.

The Dems are now treating Obola like Fukishima drain water. Well, that's a start.

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 06:14 | 5389015 paint it red ca...
Wed, 10/29/2014 - 05:00 | 5388971 MSimon
MSimon's picture

Ebola kills by cytokine storm. Look up "cannabis cytokine". We are rendered defenseless by Prohibitionists.

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 05:30 | 5388989 Aeternus
Aeternus's picture

That's what steve quayle was saying on the alex jones show yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6JQTUGVcqk

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 03:49 | 5388912 Sid James
Sid James's picture

According to Frieden, every day about five health-care workers fly back from West Africa to the United States. For months, the CDC did almost nothing to prevent returning doctors and nurses from inadvertently spreading the disease here.

http://nypost.com/2014/10/28/ebolas-science-why-its-so-hard-to-manage/

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 03:37 | 5388905 Notsobadwlad
Notsobadwlad's picture

So, where does it say that the virus survives a shorter time in hot weather?

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 01:11 | 5388771 robnume
robnume's picture

Everybody shut up! I'm trying to watch "Kwaidan." You're too loud!

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 00:57 | 5388762 robnume
robnume's picture

Let's hope it aerosoles it's way to DC.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 22:10 | 5388474 are we there yet
are we there yet's picture

Winter in crowded unwashed indian cities is a worst case scenario in number of deaths.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 22:09 | 5388462 BouncyTheWonderbunni
BouncyTheWonderbunni's picture

I was wondering how long it would take Georgy I have to give you another 2 thumbs up AND a awesome this time.

 

 

 

 

Huggs and schmoochypoo!

 

 

still have those size 14's <wink wink>

 

 

BouncI

 

 

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 21:50 | 5388404 himaroid
himaroid's picture

If I catch this shit, I hope that it has mutated by then to allow a long incubation period.

I will put on my best suit and groom myself up nicely.

And then go visit every asshole "leader" that I can find.

I will ask them to forgive me for being such an obnoxious opponent.

And then ask for a big hug.

Then I will go spend what time I have left alone on my boat.

Getting right.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 20:40 | 5388173 jm
jm's picture

Putin will save us all.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 21:15 | 5388273 nmewn
nmewn's picture

lol...if he were really a true capitalist (instead of a fucking fake) he would strike while the iron is hot and do a 1-800- GOT-EBOLA number.

Call now! ;-)

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 07:47 | 5389136 jm
jm's picture

He'll just sell his pee to the true believers.  Needs better branding than the current marketing I'm seeing coming out of his shop.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 20:25 | 5388127 SmittyinLA
SmittyinLA's picture

Which Ebola protocols? 

 

Last time I checked the protocols for working with Ebola (even in people)  are class 4 biohazard requiring negative pressure rooms and pressurized suits among many other conditions. 

Ebola is also a "category A bio agent" its movement is subject to international treaty and law. 

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 19:48 | 5387984 Grouchy Marx
Grouchy Marx's picture

Another reason to leave Minnesota.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 19:32 | 5387933 The_Prisoner
The_Prisoner's picture

Everyone will be fine. Just surrender all your freedoms and take your vaccines.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 19:25 | 5387899 Reaper
Reaper's picture

We don't have scientific proof with the present viral ebola strain, only conjecture or theory. Consensus is not science. I.E. All most all doctors, in consensus, once claimed that stomach ulcers could not be cured with antibiotics. The consensus was that man could not run less than a 4 minute mile. Science is not proven by a vote.

The title doctor does not convey to the holder thereof omniscience about disease. The errors are to trust in authorities or conjecture without proof. What's known is 50+% die from ebola in Africa. What's assumed by some is that it'll be different here. Here in the USA, it's the arrogant ignorant leading the ignorant.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 21:08 | 5388248 nmewn
nmewn's picture

What we do know is, the only ones infected (besides a Liberian who may or may not have eaten bush meat in Liberia and flew to Dallas) are...from the medical field, who had close contact with those who were late stage infected.

I stand by my month ago Ebola Squirrel comment. And that squirrel is getting tired and running out of room to maneuver in a crowded, marbled hall full of predators.

An Ebola Czar...lol...really?

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 03:41 | 5388907 Notsobadwlad
Notsobadwlad's picture

My guess is that they were also given some sort of vaccination for "protection" in their jobs.

There is most likely a known cure ... and a known cause.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 19:19 | 5387874 Ms No
Ms No's picture

Maybe if we want to know the details of how this little demon spreads we should be demanding the CDC and USAMRID release the facts about the virus they have patented and meddled with since at least 1976.  If they choose to to continue claim that this bug is not easily spread then we should be demanding all classified information that proves this is the case.  They claim to know basically nothing, how are they getting away with this? 

It seems that if we truly want to extinguish this outbreak this could be accomplished by ceasing to drop infected vectors on an uninfected population but maybe our great leaders have a different motive than we do.

 

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 03:45 | 5388909 Notsobadwlad
Notsobadwlad's picture

The wonders of the patent system. It gives the government/war department first dibs on anything that is invented. They can indefinitely freeze any patent application that has military use (and probably other uses as well) and grab it for their own, not allowing it to be published.

Makes one wonder who the patent system protects, the inventor or those in power.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 18:46 | 5387729 AgShaman
AgShaman's picture

Hahaha.... "Priming the Pump" 101

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 18:17 | 5387621 nukeaduke
nukeaduke's picture

Why Flu has a season, those reasons it shows up in fall/winter, could also kick up Ebola contagion big time then, too!

It might surprise you, even though Ebola is not airborne like flu, just how many of these seasonal influences below that unleash flu then could also enhance Ebola contagiousness this fall and winter, too!

According to..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flu_season

The exact mechanism behind the seasonal nature of influenza outbreaks is unclear. Some proposed explanations are:

– People are indoors more often during the winter, they are in close contact more often, and this promotes transmission from person to person.
– A seasonal decline in the amount of ultraviolet radiation may reduce the likelihood of the virus being damaged or killed by direct radiation damage or indirect effects (i. e. ozone concentration) increasing the probability of infection.
– Cold temperatures lead to drier air, which may dehydrate mucous membranes, preventing the body from effectively defending against respiratory virus infections.[6][7][8]
– The virus may linger longer on exposed surfaces (doorknobs, countertops, etc.) in colder temperatures.
– In nations where children do not go to school in the summer, there is a more pronounced beginning to flu season, coinciding with the start of public school. It is thought that the creche environment is perfect for the spread of illness.
– Vitamin D production from Ultraviolet-B in the skin changes with the seasons and affects the immune system.[9][10][11]
– Research in guinea pigs has shown that the aerosol transmission of the virus is enhanced when the air is cold and dry.[6]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/health/research/05flu.html?_r=0 says…

– The virus was transmitted best at a low humidity, 20 percent, and not transmitted at all when the humidity reached 80 percent.
Flu viruses are more stable in cold air, and low humidity also helps the virus particles remain in the air. That is because the viruses float in the air in little respiratory droplets, Dr. Palese said. When the air is humid, those droplets pick up water, grow larger and fall to the ground.

Seems to me, even though Ebola is not supposed to be airborne, every one of those same mechanisms above should make Ebola much more contagious then, too.

Especially as we already know Ebola in the lab when subjected to cooler temperatures, stays viable much longer on surfaces, weeks longer, in fact. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20553340

And, we know that Ebola aerosol transmission is well documented and it goes much farther and stays up for much longer, than just the 3' rule. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/commentary-health-workers-need-optimal-respiratory-protection-ebola

We’ve never seen what Ebola infection rates are in any environment outside of African heat and humidity.

It’s possible that whatever contagion risk level Ebola is at today, while warmer, for surface, aerosol or airborne ability to infect others, come this fall and winter colder weather, it could become a whole different ballgame!

Surface and aerosol infection risks will most certainly go up and, who knows, but it might just be the right environment then for limited airborne transmission, too. Regardless, even if it does not mutate, it could suddenly be seen as gotten so bad, just from the cold, people will swear it must have mutated!!

More here www.ebolaready.com

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 19:21 | 5387881 Whoa Dammit
Whoa Dammit's picture

Flu is spread by droplets, just like Ebola.

Influenza viruses are spread from person to person primarily through large-particle respiratory droplet transmission (e.g., when an infected person coughs or sneezes near a susceptible person). Transmission via large-particle droplets requires close contact between source and recipient persons, because droplets do not remain suspended in the air and generally travel only a short distance (less than or equal to 1 meter) through the air. Contact with respiratory-droplet contaminated surfaces is another possible source of transmission. Airborne transmission (via small-particle residue [less than or equal to 5µm] of evaporated droplets that might remain suspended in the air for long periods of time) also is thought to be possible, although data supporting airborne transmission are limited. 

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/acip/clinical.htm

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 11:25 | 5389840 s2man
s2man's picture

-1 for quoting the CDC

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 18:10 | 5387597 nmewn
nmewn's picture

Never fear, the Ebola Czar has only been "on the job" for less than a week, hasn't been seen in public, has made no official pronouncements like "Begone evil ebola!" and miracle of miracles...we're down to only one infection.

Behold the power of the state! ;-)

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 04:14 | 5388924 AgentScruffy
Tue, 10/28/2014 - 17:07 | 5387434 Chupacabra-322
Chupacabra-322's picture

Make this go Viral

"My Ebola Obola"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lr4mI26c-Y

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 17:20 | 5387473 Kitler
Kitler's picture

It's a good thing muslim terrorists can't read english

Otherwise they would go to Africa and freeze themselves some ebola

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:59 | 5387398 ncdirtdigger
ncdirtdigger's picture

Lions and tigers and bears oh my!

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:32 | 5387289 dexter_morgan
dexter_morgan's picture

About the cool, drier conditions - that is why we have a flu season correct? Viruses survive better in those conditions for some reason.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 21:48 | 5388381 daveO
daveO's picture

Hemorrhagic fever has been around for years, just like flu. Never been a problem in cold climes before.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Fed. gov. decided to blame a good portion of flu deaths on ebola this year. They already torture all the economic statistics. Panic!!!

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:24 | 5387251 teslaberry
teslaberry's picture

GW has been on an endless fearmongering kick regarding ebola, when , in fact, ebola is not nearly as contagious as people are surmising AND basic soaping your hands and germ ettiquette is now sufficient to prevent outbreak of sweeping plague that hasn't really been seen in any MODERN part of the world with running water and medical establishment communication since 100 years ago. 

 

u.s. modern parts of europe haven't had plague since the spanish influenza in 1917. 

 

ebola is not flu , not as easily airborne and it looks as if the authorities NEED panic and crisis to control the population as the real threat to them, and conversely the real opportunity for the middle class to maintain their savings and income, is a disruption of teh status quo. 

 

 

gw has been feeding the panic on ebola endlessly as that is GW's modus opperandi. a panic and much raker. some times gw is spot on. othertimes spot OFF . and this is one of those times. gw, give it up. you're wrong.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 18:26 | 5387659 iamrefreshed
iamrefreshed's picture

Hey you pillow-humping douche-monkey why don't you produce some evidence like GW?

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 17:00 | 5387402 1Inthebeginning
1Inthebeginning's picture

math, graphs, facts.  What you got?

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:54 | 5387379 r0mulus
r0mulus's picture

Germ Etiquette, you say?

Sir, I kindly invite you to STFU.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:41 | 5387331 Minnalousha
Minnalousha's picture

I told you to wait in the car.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:30 | 5387279 Citxmech
Citxmech's picture

Hence Ebola being subject to a BSL-4 protocol.  Sure.  Whatever you say. 

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:03 | 5387169 dexter_morgan
dexter_morgan's picture

Amber Vinson released. Nina Pham released. Are we overestimating the deadliness and ability to spread of this virus?

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 04:17 | 5388927 goldsaver
goldsaver's picture

No and yes. The strand of Ebola that Thomas Duncan brought to the United States and infected Nina Pham and Amber Vinson with appears to a) not reach aggressive infectious state until the patient reaches stage 2 (vomiting and diarrhea) and it is easily survivable if treated early with experimental drugs and the patient does not reaches stage 2.

So, no we are not overestimating the deadlines, it requires early treatment with experimental drugs in order to be survivable and yes we are exaggerating how contagious this strand has been so far. So far it is not spreading until the patient is projectile everything.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 21:41 | 5388366 daveO
daveO's picture

Careful now. This is no time for common sense & levelheadedness. Panic!!!

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:11 | 5387200 andrewp111
andrewp111's picture

We are not overestimating the deadlieness of Ebola.

They were treated with blood plasma from Ebola survivors early in the disease - the only known treatment that works.

This may explain why the Obama Administration is flying Ebola patients to the USA for treatment - so he can have a larger pool of survivors from which to draw blood.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 22:14 | 5388486 lakecity55
lakecity55's picture

They may have been given a vaccine.

We do not know yet.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 17:36 | 5387514 ThaBigPerm
ThaBigPerm's picture

Which means if you're a typeO- be sure to not survive, otherwise your blood will be drawn from you by the masses like prying golden eggs from a goose.

http://topyaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Milk-Master-The-Milking-Ma...

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:38 | 5387310 quasimodo
quasimodo's picture

Yes, because gov. has our bestest interests at heart............no really, they do.

 

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 20:50 | 5388205 August
August's picture

We're all going to die!!!!!!!

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!