14 DAY TRIAL // The ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa has already killed well over 4,000 people, and cases of infection with the deadly virus have so far been reported in several other countries outside the continent.
The trouble with Ebola is that, for the time being at least, doctors have no bullet-proof treatment to administer folks infected with the virus. All they can do is try to ease their symptoms and hope for the best.
Precisely because there is no treatment for Ebola, the one thing officials can do to put an end to the epidemic is keep the virus from infecting any more people. Simply put, the key to handling the outbreak is preventing the spread of the virus.
Copper might just be a trustworthy ally
In a recent paper in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, researchers with the University of Southampton in the UK argue that, according to evidence at hand, it might be possible to use copper and copper alloys to keep Ebola from spreading any further.
Specifically, the scientists say that copper and copper alloys might prove fairly effective in terms of keeping people from getting Ebola by coming into contact with contaminated objects and surfaces.
This claim is based on previous investigations showing that said materials have the ability to destroy a wide variety of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, some of which resemble the Ebola virus as far as their genetic makeup is concerned.
Thus, it was back in September 2013 that specialists announced that, having carried out a series of experiments, they found that objects and surfaces made of copper and copper alloys can deactivate a highly infectious bug known to the scientific community as norovirus.
Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the University of Southampton researchers go on to detail that copper and copper alloys are also effective against several other biothreat agents such as adenovirus and poliovirus. More precisely, they can reduce surface contamination by as much as 80%.
Hence, the specialists say that it might not be such a bad idea to try and use such materials to keep the Ebola virus from moving freely in one area or another. For a better outcome, the use of copper and copper alloys should be coupled with hand washing, disinfectants and quarantine procedures.
How exactly would this work?
As explained by health officials and medical experts, folks can contract the deadly Ebola virus by coming into direct contact with an infected individual's bodily fluids or by being exposed to contaminated surfaces.
The University of Southampton researchers argue that, were frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, light switches, taps and the like be made of copper or copper alloys, public places would become a more hygienic environment and the risk for people to contract Ebola would be reduced.
“Based on our research on viruses of similar genetic structure, we expect copper surfaces to inactivate Ebola, and to help control the spread of this virus if employed for publicly-used touch surfaces,” Professor Bill Keevil explained his and his colleagues' idea in a recent interview.
Mind you, folks would still have to be careful and all other safety precautions would still be in place. Thus, the use of copper and copper alloy surfaces in public places would only be an addition to already implemented safety procedures.