The Ebola virus is not currently transmitted by airborne droplets. Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids such as blood, feces and vomit. However, experts recently raised concerns that if the Ebola epidemic in western Africa lasts long enough, the virus could mutate. Could Ebola then become an airborne infection and spread even faster?
Although this sounds intimidating enough, experts believe that such a scenario is unlikely.
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Breaking news Ebola 2014
The Ebola virus infected more than 5,357 people in West Africa in 2014, of which more than 2,630 died.
According to the latest figures, 54 percent of infected people die, although the actual numbers could be much higher.
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The number of people infected doubles approximately every three weeks. By the end of 2014, their number may grow from 77,000 to 277,000.
The Ebola virus invades cells and moves through the body, affecting all organs, causing profuse bleeding.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, including sweat, tears, saliva, blood, urine, semen, and objects that have been in contact with bodily fluids (bedding, clothing, needles) and corpses.
There are fears that the virus could mutate and airborne transmission of Ebola will become even easier.
The spread of the Ebola virus
While many experts believe that such a scenario is not impossible, it is highly unlikely.
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"This possibility is at the very bottom of the list of possible future for Ebola, and most likely will never happen," said Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading in the UK.
While virologists have demonstrated that it is quite possible to make Ebola spread through the air under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, they argue that there is no evidence that this will happen in everyday life.
Ebola Virus 2014
The Ebola virus is constantly mutating. Researchers have sequenced 99 Ebola genomes from blood samples from 78 patients in Sierra Leone, one of 4 countries affected by the Ebola epidemic. They found a large number of rapid changes in the virus, even in the first weeks after the outbreak.
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Ebola, like HIV and influenza viruses, is an RNA virus - that is, it contains ribonucleic acid. Such viruses change rapidly and when they reproduce, they create copies of themselves that are full of errors. Most of these are insignificant mutations and are unlikely to lead to the emergence of a new skill, for example, the ability to transmit through the air.
Experts emphasize that over the past 100 years of studying viruses, none of them have changed the route of transmission. For example, HIV and the hepatitis C virus have infected millions of people since the early 20th century. They are still passed on through contaminated needles, blood, and during childbirth.
Ebola vaccine
Russian doctors have developed an Ebola vaccine that has been shown to be effective in animals. Scientists are now preparing for clinical trials of the vaccine. Clinical trials of a vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline in 60 healthy volunteers have recently begun. The vaccine contains a small amount of the genetic material of the virus and cannot cause illness.
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Serum from people who have recovered from Ebola is also considered a potential treatment. Their blood contains high levels of antibodies against the virus. However, there have been recent reports that the blood of survivors is now sold on the black market and may be dangerous as it may contain other infections.
ZMapp, a cocktail of antibodies developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., has performed well in trials in monkeys and multiple humans. But at the moment there are no more than a dozen doses of the drug, and its production takes several months.
Experts say pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in developing new drugs that will be used sporadically and on small numbers of people.
