Ebola Virus Not Killed By Water, Despite Governor's Claim

As Ebola fear spreads across the country, does the water industry hold the solution for this virus? 

Not exactly. But one politician, who has been slammed for making an inaccurate claim, recently appeared to suggest it. 

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who is up for reelection, recently discussed his state's Ebola readiness plans with Marietta Daily Journal editorial board. He claimed that "water kills the Ebola virus," which is not accurate.  

The context: Deal was describing meetings with Georgia health officials on Ebola readiness. 

The full remarks, per the Daily Journal: “And their conclusion was that we are in pretty good shape here in Georgia. They have reached out to all of the hospitals. They are continuing to reach out to EMTs, first responders, to make sure that they know how to react in the event they have somebody who is a potential case of Ebola. The most comforting thing that I heard from (Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health) was that water kills the Ebola virus. I’ve never heard that before. I thought it was something that was so contagious there wasn’t much you could do to prevent it or anything else, so her advice was ‘wash your hands.'"

That remark followed him for the next few days. Deal was criticized for making inaccurate statements about the infectious virus. 

CNN reported: "In fact, water alone does not kill Ebola. Soap and water does. So does chlorine and bleach, experts added." 

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Andrew Hunt remarked to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “How can we have such an idiot running our state? This is a very serious issue and we can’t have our leaders misquoting information to the general population.” 

Deal's campaign came to his defense, attempting to show that he is taking the Ebola threat seriously. 

"He’s by no means downplaying the danger,” a Deal spokesman said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “On the contrary, he’s making sure Georgians are educated on the issue and prepared.”

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