WHO Updates Terminology: Pathogens That Transmit Through the Air - COVID-19, Influenza, and More

Geneva, Switzerland, Geneva Canton, Switzerland Switzerland
Leading health agencies from around the world collaborated on this update.
The update covers various respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, influenza, measles, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and tuberculosis.
The WHO emphasized that disease names can have negative implications and stigmatizing effects.
The WHO now discourages differentiating between aerosols and larger droplets, stating they exist on a continuous spectrum of sizes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated the terminology for airborne and respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, to be called 'pathogens that transmit through the air'.
WHO Updates Terminology: Pathogens That Transmit Through the Air - COVID-19, Influenza, and More

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated the terminology for airborne and respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, to be called 'pathogens that transmit through the air.' The WHO now discourages differentiating between aerosols and larger droplets, stating they exist on a continuous spectrum of sizes. This update aims to eliminate confusion in communicating how these pathogens are transmitted among human populations.

The international health agency consulted hundreds of experts from various scientific fields following the lack of common language used during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The discrepancies in terminology led to real consequences, such as delayed recommendations for mask usage early in the pandemic.

In a report published on April 18, 2024, the WHO stated that these viruses will now be referred to as 'pathogens that transmit through the air.' The update covers various respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, influenza, measles, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and tuberculosis.

The WHO's previous use of terms such as 'airborne,' 'airborne transmission,' 'droplets,' and 'aerosols' was inconsistent, leading to confusion. The new report discourages the differentiation between aerosols (smaller infectious respiratory particles) and larger droplets, stating they exist on a continuous spectrum of sizes.

The WHO also emphasized that disease names can have negative implications and stigmatizing effects. In 2015, the organization issued best practices guidance for naming new diseases to avoid using geographic locations, people's names, animals, or food in disease names.

Leading health agencies from around the world collaborated on this update. The consultation report was published with contributions from experts and public health agencies such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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Confidence

100%

Doubts
  • I have no doubts about the accuracy of this article.
  • The WHO's previous use of terms such as 'airborne', 'airborne transmission', 'droplets', and 'aerosols' was inconsistent, but I have no reason to believe that the new terminology is inaccurate.

Sources

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

W.H.O. Broadens Definition of Airborne Diseases

The New York Times Carl Zimmer Thursday, 18 April 2024 10:00
  • Unique Points
    • The W.H.O. has updated its classification of how pathogens spread through the air.
    • A group of advisers were asked to update the formal guidelines for classifying the ways that pathogens spread after controversy over Covid being an airborne disease.
    • Dr. Ed Nardell, a tuberculosis expert at Harvard Medical School and a member of the group, considers it an important first step towards agreed-upon terminology.
  • Accuracy
    • ]The W.H.O. has updated its classification of how pathogens spread through the air.[
    • Covid was acknowledged as an airborne disease by the W.H.O. in late 2021.
    • The new report suggests broader categories for defining airborne diseases, not relying on droplet size or distance spread.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The WHO is rebranding COVID and other respiratory illnesses

Quartz News Site Bruce Gil Thursday, 18 April 2024 15:27
  • Unique Points
    • The WHO has updated the terminology for airborne and respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, to be called ‘pathogens that transmit through the air’.
    • The WHO now discourages differentiating between aerosols and larger droplets, stating they exist on a continuous spectrum of sizes.
    • The use of names for diseases based on geographic locations, people, animals, or food has previously caused negative implications and stigmatization. The WHO recommends using more generic and descriptive terms based on symptoms, causes, and pathogens instead.
  • Accuracy
    • ]The WHO has updated the terminology for airborne and respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, to be called 'pathogens that transmit through the air'.[
    • Covid was acknowledged as an airborne disease by the W.H.O. in late 2021.
    • The new report suggests broader categories for defining airborne diseases, not relying on droplet size or distance spread.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Leading health agencies outline updated terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air

World Health Organization (WHO) Friday, 19 April 2024 00:34
  • Unique Points
    • World Health Organization (WHO) publishes report introducing updated terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air
    • 'Individuals infected with a respiratory pathogen can generate and expel infectious particles, described as 'infectious respiratory particles' or IRPs'
    • Pathogens covered include COVID-19, influenza, measles, MERS, SARS, tuberculosis among others
  • Accuracy
    • ]The WHO publishes report introducing updated terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air[
    • Individuals infected with a respiratory pathogen can generate and expel infectious particles
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication