During the COVID-19 pandemic, after a lot of discussion, the World Health Organization has now expanded its definition of airborne diseases to include tiny droplets that either land on a person or are breathed in through the air.
The WHO update follows long discussions and debates about how COVID-19 is spread. Initially, WHO did not recognize COVID as an airborne disease, despite evidence suggesting it can stay in the air indoors and cause infections. WHO first thought COVID-19 was likely spread only by direct contact or droplets on a person from short distances.
However, persistent advocacy from scientists finally led WHO to update its classification in late 2021, acknowledging COVID as airborne, according to The New York Times. update In response to the COVID controversy, the WHO put together a group of advisers, including critics, to revise its guidelines for classifying how diseases spread. The result is a new report outlining updated definitions that could significantly affect global disease control policies.
The updated classification now divides transmission routes into those involving contact and those involving the air. The latter is called “through the air transmission,” including both direct deposition onto mucous membranes and the inhalation of airborne droplets of any size. This change raises concerns about imposing costly control measures for a wider range of diseases, as reported by the NYT.
According to the NYT, if this classification had been used at the beginning of the pandemic, it could have led to immediate recommendations for the use of high-quality masks, prioritization of indoor ventilation, and potentially less emphasis on social distancing.
Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist and professor at Virginia Tech and a member of the WHO consultation group behind the new report, said the report will help in communicating clearly with the public about how diseases spread and how to reduce the risk of transmission.
Marr also mentioned that prior to the new classification, there was a lot of confusion about how COVID-19 was spread and how people could protect themselves, for example, the unnecessary practice of wiping down groceries, as per CNN. said There was hesitation from public health agencies to use the word ‘airborne’ due to differences in expert understanding, according to Marr. She hopes that the new report will enable public health communicators to use the word ‘airborne’ to explain simply and clearly to the average person how a disease might be transmitted.
While the agreement on terminology marks progress, there is still uncertainty about the measures needed for airborne diseases. Traditional guidelines recommend costly measures such as isolation rooms and protective gear, but determining which diseases require such precautions is still challenging.
The report hopes to enable public health communicators to use the word ‘airborne’ because it is the simplest and clearest way to explain to the average person how a disease might be transmitted.
While the agreement on terminology marks progress, there remains uncertainty about how measures. Traditional guidelines for airborne diseases recommend costly measures such as isolation rooms and protective gear, but determining which diseases warrant such precautions remains challenging.
Despite the lack of agreement on ways to control it, the use of the same definitions by international organizations signals a move towards combined efforts in preventing and controlling diseases.al health agencies signals a step towards unified efforts in disease prevention and control.
Stephen S. Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, admitted that the clarified terminology in the report is an improvement, but he questioned whether it would have made a difference in managing the pandemic.
“There were many failures in dealing with the pandemic; it would have been useful to have greater clarity, but I don’t think it would have made a great difference overall. It would have helped people to better protect themselves, but we didn’t have appropriate personal protective equipment available anyway,” Morse said.
