The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a rare but severe and often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals (fruit bats, non-human primates, forest antelope) and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%, with past outbreaks showing case fatality rates ranging from 25% to 90%.

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 during two simultaneous outbreaks: one in Nzara, South Sudan, and another in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, sporadic outbreaks have occurred primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, with the 2014–2016 West African epidemic being the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak to date. The current outbreak in 2026 is potentially the largest in history.

Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with, or has died from, Ebola, or with surfaces and materials contaminated by these fluids. The virus can be transmitted through contact with blood and body fluids (such as saliva, sweat, vomit, feces, and urine), contact with the skin or mucous membranes of infected individuals, contact with contaminated surfaces and materials, and sexual contact with individuals who have recovered from EVD.

Healthcare workers and patients in contact with EVD patients are at high risk of infection. The virus can survive on environmental surfaces for extended periods, making thorough disinfection critical. Transmission in healthcare settings can occur through exposure to blood and body fluids during patient care, needle-stick and sharps injuries, contact with contaminated medical equipment and surfaces, and improper handling of bodily waste and contaminated materials.

Healthcare workers caring for EVD patients must use appropriate PPE to prevent exposure to blood and body fluids. Recommended PPE includes double gloving (inner and outer gloves) with frequent changes, full-body fluid-resistant protective gowns or coveralls, respiratory protection such as N95 masks or higher-level respirators, eye protection such as face shields or safety glasses that protect the mucous membranes, head and neck protection such as protective hoods or bonnets, fluid-resistant shoe covers, and proper donning and doffing procedures with trained oversight.

While PPE is essential for protection, it presents significant challenges in practice, including heat stress from full protective suits, difficulty with doffing procedures that can lead to contamination, supply chain limitations during outbreaks, and the psychological burden on healthcare workers. Additionally, PPE alone cannot eliminate all transmission risks in healthcare environments, particularly airborne and environmental contamination risks.

While Ebola is primarily spread through direct contact, some research has examined how long the virus may remain viable in aerosol particles and on environmental surfaces under certain conditions, depending on temperature, humidity, and surface type. In healthcare settings, the air can become contaminated with viral particles through respiratory secretions and droplets from symptomatic patients, aerosolization during medical procedures (intubation, suctioning, nebulized medications), contamination of environmental surfaces and materials, and movement of healthcare workers and changes in air circulation patterns within isolation units.

Controlling air quality in EVD treatment facilities is an important component of infection prevention and control (IPC). Advanced air disinfection technologies can help reduce the viral load in healthcare environments by continuously neutralizing viral particles in the air before they are inhaled or settle on surfaces, reducing environmental contamination and potential transmission pathways, lowering the overall infectious burden in isolation units and healthcare spaces, providing an additional layer of protection for healthcare workers and other patients, and enhancing air quality to support better patient outcomes and staff morale.

A multi-layered approach to environmental control is essential in EVD treatment settings. This includes continuous air disinfection in patient isolation rooms and treatment areas; regular surface disinfection with appropriate EPA-registered disinfectants; proper ventilation management with HEPA filtration, where applicable; staff training and adherence to strict disinfection protocols; and monitoring of environmental contamination and air quality metrics.

Air disinfection works alongside PPE and surface disinfection to create a comprehensive protection strategy. While PPE protects individual healthcare workers and surface disinfection reduces contact transmission, air disinfection addresses an additional gap by reducing the overall viral load in the environment. This multi-layered approach, combining PPE, environmental disinfection, and air quality management, provides robust protection for healthcare workers, patients, and facilities during Ebola response operations.

Yes. Advanced air disinfection technologies represent a critical but often overlooked component of Ebola infection prevention and control. Given the severity of the disease, the stress on healthcare workers, and the high risk of environmental contamination in treatment settings, facilities should strongly consider implementing a continuous air disinfection system such as the Aerobiotix Illuvia Sense as part of their comprehensive emergency preparedness protocols for managing high-consequence infectious diseases.