While we have been told that the Ebola disease typically dies on surfaces within hours, a study, citing tons of research, concludes it can survive for more than seven weeks under certain conditions.
The tests, conducted by the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found that the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus can live on samples stored on glass at low temperatures for as long as 50 days.
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The left-hand charts plot survival rates of Zaire strain of Ebola (Zebov) and Lake Victoria marburgvirus (Marv) on glass (a) and plastic (b) at 4° (39°F) over 14 days. The right-hand charts reveal the survival rate under the same conditions over 50 days. Both viruses survived for 26 days, and Ebola was extracted after 50 days. The tests were initially carried out by researchers from DSTL before the current outbreak, in 2010, but the strain investigated is one of five that is still infecting people globally. h/t dailymail
The findings are also quoted in advice from the Public Agency of Health in Canada.
