After Push by UMD Researcher, WHO Changes Course/New Recommendations Acknowledge Possibility of Airborne Transmission

A high-profile campaign led in part by a University of Maryland infectious disease expert moved the World Health Organization (WHO) to acknowledge the novel coronavirus may remain airborne indoors and infect people through breathing.

On July 6, CBS News' chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook spoke with Dr.

In a letter directed to the medical community, to the WHO and the CDC released on July 6, Dr. Don Milton, professor of applied environmental health in the University of Maryland School of Public Health, was joined by 239 scientific colleagues from 32 countries in urging these bodies to recognize the potential for airborne spread of COVID-19 and to do more to communicate this risk and advocate for the widespread use of preventive measures.

Professor Don Milton's expertise related to the airborne transmission of viruses was again referenced by the New York Times in a story about the World Health Organization's June 8 statement that transmission of the coronavirus by people without symptoms is “very rare.”

Following concerted pushback from researchers, W.H.O. officials walked back the claim, saying it was a “misunderstanding.”

University of Maryland School of Public Health Professor, Amy R. Sapkota, will serve as an investigator on a five-year $10 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The grant was awarded to a team of University of Maryland researchers to help farmers in the Corn Belt navigate efficient water and nutrient use in order to increase crop production. 

The faculty, staff, and students of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) are present in solidarity with people of color around the world as we witness the culmination of centuries of injustice and discrimination. We have seen the disproportionate impacts on persons of color from the recent novel coronavirus pandemic. We have also witnessed the injustices and horrific racial violence against historically disadvantaged and minority communities.

A new multinational consortium of scientists, led by Professor Amir Sapkota, in the University of Maryland School of Public Health, is developing innovative solutions to reduce the burden of diarrheal disease caused by extreme weather events in Taiwan, India, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Don Milton co-authored a study to understand the patterns of contamination of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Researchers say it's essential for prevention policies and effective interventions.

The findings of a new study suggest that air conditioners can blow around infected droplets hanging in the air, Don Milton told WBUR. With enough air movement, your nose can pull in large particles, he said.

Congratulations Spring 2020 graduates! We are so proud of your accomplishments and with the future of public health in your hands, we feel hopeful about the future.