News & Updates

TIME answers your questions about Ebola in the United States A renowned infectious disease expert named Michael Osterholm wrote an opinion piece in the  New York Times  that said airborne Ebola is possible if the virus mutates enough. As TIME reported in the past, anything is possible with viruses, but there are many other mutations that are more likely than a change in the mode of transmission—meaning how you catch it. For instance, a virus could become more virulent—more contagious—or could develop incubation periods that are longer than the current estimate of 21 days. But in general, scientists are not very concerned about that. What’s the likelihood it will spread in the U.S.? Not very, though the patient’s direct contacts must be screened. On Tuesday, director of the CDC Dr. Tom Friedensaid in a press conference: “The bottom-line here is I have no doubt that we will control this case of Ebola so that it does not spread widely.” The CDC has consistently sa...