Scientists Discover Ebola Virus Transmitted by Air

A new article published in Scientific Reports, Canadian scientists reveal that the deadliest form of the Ebola virus may be easily transferred by air among different species living in close quarters. In one instance, the virus was transmitted from pigs to monkeys without either animal group having direct contact with the other, leading researchers to hypothesize that large droplets of the virus can stay in the air for short periods of time and be absorbed into airways. Researchers also expressed concern that pigs may be natural hosts for the lethal infection, which is transferred to humans through close contact with animal blood, secretions, organs, and other bodily fluids. Animal secretions also have a tendency to show up in meat—in a previous study, the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine found that 48 percent of store-bought chicken tested positive for fecal contamination.