A new commentary published in Environmental Health Perspectives, urges the scientific community to continue research on the airborne transmission of pathogens.

The commentary cites the importance of two workshop series convened during the COVID-19 pandemic by the National Academies’ Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI). The first workshop series, held in 2020 and motivated by the uncertainty of COVID-19, accelerated understanding of the airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen.

The second workshop series, held in 2022, considered novel scientific discoveries, accumulated community knowledge, and on-the-ground observations of airborne pathogens in indoor environments, like schools and public transportation. This workshop series aimed to help refine and inform public health decisions and guidance at the local, state, and federal levels.

"One overarching, key lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic became clear in these workshops: the need to embrace the management of indoor air as a primary tool for controlling transmission of respiratory pathogens,” authors Linsey Marr and Jonathan Samet write. “This management can be achieved by reducing the amount of infectious virus in the air through ventilation, filtration, and disinfection."

However, despite COVID-era progress, the authors of the commentary suggest that a comprehensive and continued review of airborne pathogen transmission as outlined by the EHMI workshops is needed.

“We are concerned that progress will stall with developing evidence-based interventions to reduce airborne infection with the end of the COVID-19 emergency,” the authors write. “This lull is the time to prepare for the inevitable next pandemic caused by a respiratory pathogen.”

Both Linsey Marr and Jon Samet have a long history of serving on expert committees of the National Academies.

According to the commentary, the largest barrier to reducing the risk of airborne transmission of diseases is not the lack of scientific knowledge but instead the pathways to implementation of interventions.

“These barriers include funding to support changes to infrastructure and operations, education of facility managers and decision-makers about technical solutions, and raising public awareness about the importance of indoor air quality for health,” the authors write.

While the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared to be over in 2023, the pandemic continues today, with cases surging in the summer and winter months. Because of COVID-19's prevalence in daily life, the commentary stresses the need for sustained action on airborne pathogens.

“A strategic research agenda is needed that addresses key uncertainties and supports development and implementation of evidence-based strategies to reduce infection risk in indoor environments,” the authors write.