Ebola-Infected Corpses Contagious for More Than Seven Days After Death, Study

A new study shows that Ebola can remain alive on corpses for up to one week following death.

According to The Times of India, researchers simulated environment conditions of Africa to determine Ebola's activity post-mortem in an organism. Ebola infected monkey corpses were allowed to remain in the simulated environment and tissue samples were extracted for testing. The results showed that the virus was viable for at least seven days following death and non-infections viral RNA was detectable for 70 days.

"Carcasses were placed in vented plastic containers in an environmental chamber at 27°C and 80% relative humidity throughout the study to mimic conditions in West Africa," researchers wrote in the journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Researchers tested the carcasses for up to 10 weeks. They found that oral swabs had the highest amount of viral RNA.

"Viable virus can persist for seven or more days on surfaces of bodies, confirming that transmission from deceased persons is possible for an extended period after death. These data are also applicable for interpreting samples collected from remains of wildlife infected with Ebola, especially nonhuman primates, and to assess risks for handling these carcasses," they wrote.

NBC News reports that the virus has killed more than 9,000 people and infected 22,000 according to WHO, which has maintained that all contact with Ebola infected must be avoided if the virus has to be stopped.