Can Ebola Be Spread By Sneezing Or Coughing

Question: Can ebola be spread by sneezing? This has been answered by the World Health Organization (WHO) saying:

Theoretically, wet and bigger droplets from a heavily infected individual, who has respiratory symptoms caused by other conditions or who vomits violently, could transmit the virus – over a short distance – to another nearby person.

This could happen when virus-laden heavy droplets are directly propelled, by coughing or sneezing (which does not mean airborne transmission) onto the mucus membranes or skin with cuts or abrasions of another person.

WHO, however, clarified:

WHO is not aware of any studies that actually document this mode of transmission. On the contrary, good quality studies from previous Ebola outbreaks show that all cases were infected by direct close contact with symptomatic patients.

How likely could Ebola virus could go airborne? No human airborne transmission of Ebola has been confirmed, even though there have been multiple outbreaks in Africa since 1976. “Ebola is more-or-less the same as it was in 1976,” when it was discovered, said Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading in the U.K. “Most viruses, once they’ve established a way of life, stick with it.”

Speculation that Ebola virus disease might mutate into a form that could easily spread among humans through the air is just that: speculation, unsubstantiated by any evidence.

A Harvard School of Public Health poll released Wednesday night found that 85 percent of people think they can get Ebola if a symptomatic person sneezes or coughs on them.