Ebola Airborne CDC: Widespread Outbreak Possible, More Contagious Virus Than Thought

The Executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Jane Orient, claimed the world is dealing a different kind of Ebola virus, one which is more potent and can be transmitted in air via droplets.

“What we’re suggesting is that it is very dangerous to assume that one cannot ever acquire Ebola from an aerosol or from breathing,” Orient said in an interview with CBS Dallas in the wake of the report that two healthcare workers in Texas have already been affected despite already following protocol in containing the deadly virus.

Orient believed containing this new strain of Ebola virus could be more difficult than previously thought because it can still be transmittable in an aerosol for more than 24 hours.

“In the laboratory, you actually breath air from the outside, which means you’re either tethered to your air supply or maybe you carry something like a scuba tank that has air that does not come from the room.”

Her findings very much contradicted the previous statement by the CDC and United States President Barrack Obama on how contagious this virus is.

“First, Ebola is not spread through the air like the flu,” President Obama said in his speech directed to the people of West Africa following the outbreak of the virus. “You cannot get it from casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus.”

CDC Director Thomas Frieden called Obama’s statement very accurate, believing Ebola virus can only be transmitted through body fluids or one of the symptoms of the virus such as influenza has already manifested.

However, Orient once again opposed Frieden’s conclusion, as she stressed that Ebola virus could be contagious even before the host body showed the symptoms.

“Maybe they are even more contagious before they get symptoms, such as in influenza,” says Dr. Orient. “How can we be sure that Ebola is any different? We certainly don’t have any experimental evidence for it. How do you even know if someone will come down with Ebola five days from now so that you can test if they’re transmitting the virus now?”