Do copper surfaces kill the Ebola virus?

Subsequent research suggests that replacing most hospital surfaces with copper ones, especially high-touch ones like doorknobs, could be essential in preventing the spread of the Ebola virus in Europe and the USA, as well as in some other developed countries.

British scientists from the University of Southampton reported that the results of their research on viruses show that most of them have a very similar genetic structure.

Because of this, they believe that copper surfaces can deactivate Ebola as well as help control the spread of this virus.

But only if copper is used to line surfaces that large groups of people come in contact with.

As of 10/29/2014, there have been 13,567 confirmed cases of the Ebola virus as the disease continues to spread, and at least 4,960 people have died from the hemorrhagic fever.

Health authorities expect there to be 1,000 new cases of the disease every week.

In the media in the European Union, information appeared that the European institutions are hiding the new cases of Ebola.

According to the WHO, there are 8 confirmed cases of the deadly virus in Europe, which are linked to endemic outbreaks in Africa, and 3 of them have died.

In addition, there are at least a dozen or more suspected cases in European hospitals that may not have developed the Ebola hemorrhagic fever characteristic of the virus.

However, health experts believe that these data are unreliable, as a large proportion of those infected, as well as those who died, remain undiagnosed, do not undergo treatment and therefore cannot be included in publicly available information.

The real number of cases and deaths is probably at least twice as high as officially announced.

What new measures are needed to limit the spread of the Ebola virus?

According to the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the infectious organism is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected individual or through direct contact with contaminated with the virus surfaces.

But so far, current recommendations, such as frequent hand washing and disinfection of surfaces around the sick and quarantine, have proven ineffective in stopping the spread of the infectious organism.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies by British scientists have shown that norovirus is rapidly and completely inactivated by exposure to copper.

And German scientists have found that the metal with atomic number 29 is also effective against other viruses.

Other scientific studies show that surfaces made of so-called “antimicrobial copper” /pure copper or copper alloys/ are 80% slower to be colonized by various bacteria and viruses compared to those manufactured from other materials.

Does copper kill viruses and dangerous super bacteria?

For many years, the potential of the metal copper to stop the spread of dangerous infections, especially in a hospital setting, has been the subject of scientific research.

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Because the germs die only on contact with it and no action is required by the personnel of the respective health facility.

Experts suggest that hospitals could significantly reduce cases of iatrogenic infections and other diseases, including Ebola, if they lined high-touch surfaces such as handles, taps and faucets, and switches for lighting with antimicrobial copper.

The application of the atomic number 29 metal shows promise against resistant bacteria.

In 2012, the same British scientists from the University of Southampton conducted a study published in the journal mBio, the results of which found that copper also destroys antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The metal also destroys the bacteria’s DNA, suggesting it may help prevent the spread of drug resistance to other strains.