Deadly flu virus spreading through the air ‘can be KILLED using special $1,000 UV lamps’, amid ‘worst outbreak in seven years’
Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light kills airborne flu viruses
And experts discovered the rays don’t harm human tissues or cause skin cancer
The results may pave the way for overhead lamps to be installed in public spaces
By STEPHEN MATTHEWS
DAILYMAIL.COM
9 February 2018
The flu virus spreading through the air can be killed off by special ultraviolet light lamps costing just £700 each, a new study suggests.
Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light kills airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, causing skin cancers or cataracts.
The findings could pave the way to installing the overhead lamps in hospitals, surgeries, schools and airports to help stop seasonal epidemics.
The results, led by Columbia University, come amid the worst flu outbreak in recent years in the US, with every state except rocked by the virus.
And the deadly outbreak has claimed the lives of more than 200 people in the UK, but appears to be slowing down as the end of season approaches.
Scientists, led by Professor David Brenner, conducted the new trial on the H1N1 virus – the same strain that killed 50 million in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.
But, in theory, far-UVC light could also kill the H3N2 strain, dubbed ‘Aussie flu’, which has sparked widespread fears of a similar pandemic this winter.
Far-UVC light, which has a wavelength of between 200 to 400 nanometers (nm), is expensive, but if mass produced costs should sink.
It would offer a separate way of preventing people from becoming ill, alongside the conventional vaccines that protect millions each year.
Professor Brenner, from the Columbia University’s Centre for Radiological Research, added that far-UVC is likely to be effective against all flu strains.
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