Combating Influenza with Far-UVC Light – Morning Sign Out at UCI

Written by Gouri Ajith

This past flu season has been one of the worst in decades, with a surge in flu-related hospitalizations and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended vaccine protects against three to four of this year’s viral strains, and is currently the best method of prevention especially for the very young and elderly [1]. However, the government estimates this year’s vaccine to be only 36% effective, suggesting a need for more widespread vaccination and vaccines that are better equipped to combat the constantly mutating influenza virus [2]. Ideally, the best preventative measure would be to destroy the virus before a person was infected, thus breaking the viral transmission cycle.

Approximately a day after a person has been infected with the influenza virus and before symptoms even fully appear, he or she becomes highly infectious [3]. The person could then transmit the virus to others by sneezing or coughing into the air, onto a person, or onto a surface. Once out of the infected person’s body, the influenza virus could survive for anywhere between a few minutes and a few days, depending on the porosity of the surface that the virus lands on [3]. Various other factors also affect how long a virus will survive outside of a host, such as humidity and sunlight levels [3]. Once inside a new host, the virus first attaches itself to the walls of cells in the upper respiratory tract or the lungs; it then releases its genetic material, in the form of RNA, into the host’s cells [4]. Along with core proteins, this RNA is replicated in the nuclei of cells and subsequently released from the cell to spread to other parts of the body [4]. At this stage of the viral cycle is when vaccines come into play, by strengthening a person’s immune system to better fight off the virus and prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body. Although vaccinations help people fighting off a virus after infection, they do not prevent transmission of the virus altogether.

Recently, however, researchers at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have found a new way to break the transmission cycle of airborne flu viruses: using a specific wavelength of UV (ultraviolet) light [5]. UV light hinders viral and bacterial transmission, and lower levels of UV light during winter allow the influenza virus to thrive in this season. For decades, UV light with an approximate wavelength of 254 nanometers (nm) has been used to sterilize surgical equipment by killing any viruses or bacteria that may be present [6]. However, the levels and wavelengths of UV light used in sterilization penetrate the outer layers of human skin and eyes, causing cancers and cataracts to result from overexposure to UV light [6]. These health hazards currently prevent the use of UV light in public spaces. However, this new research study has shown that low doses of far-UVC light, with wavelengths between 207 and 222 nm, is able to kill viruses and bacteria without harming mammalian skin [6]. While far-UVC light cannot penetrate mammalian skin, it could penetrate the much smaller surfaces of viruses and bacteria to hinder them from spreading throughout the body [6]. The absorption of photons of UV light breaks molecular bonds in the DNA and RNA of viruses and bacteria, thus preventing their replication in the host’s cells [7].

Far-UVC light, unlike vaccines and antibiotics, is likely to be effective against any mutant viral or bacterial strains and will not need to be updated every new flu season [6]. Once its effectiveness is further explored and it is approved for widespread use, far-UVC lamps could possibly be installed in public places such as hospitals and airports [6]. Such low-level, safe exposure could potentially check not only seasonal flu epidemics, but also major pandemics.

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