By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, April 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Five years after COVID-19 first hit the United States, scientists are already brainstorming how to stop the next big virus.<\/p>\n
One possible solution? A special kind of ultraviolet light called far-UVC, CBS News <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n Unlike regular UVC light, which can be harmful to people, far-UVC has a shorter wavelength. That means it can kill viruses and bacteria in the air without damaging your skin or eyes.<\/p>\n “UV light really doesn’t care about the details of whether it’s a bacteria or a virus. It can kill all of them, essentially,” Columbia University physicist David Brenner<\/a> said.<\/p>\n Right now, far-UVC is being tested in places like a Boston nightclub, a dental clinic at Columbia as well as a rehab center at Mount Sinai Hospital.<\/p>\n Researchers are using special rooms to see how well the light works in real life.<\/p>\n The rooms allow them to control airflow and humidity and measure how much virus is in the air before and after using the light.<\/p>\n “I’d say the development has been slow and steady,” Brenner told CBS News<\/em>.<\/p>\n The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says far-UVC looks promising, but more research is needed to confirm that it’s safe and effective.<\/p>\n David Putrino<\/a>, a professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, installed the lights at a rehabilitation center.<\/p>\n “We did a deep dive on the literature,” he said. “So, after looking at all those studies, it really alleviated any concerns that we would have about safety.”<\/p>\n Experts say far-UVC could be useful in fighting viruses that spread through the air, like the flu or COVID<\/a>. It might also help if bird flu ever becomes a serious threat to people.<\/p>\n “What we’re hoping is that we can take a bite out of that next pandemic, which you know is gonna come,” Brenner said. “Whether it’s bird flu or whether it’s something we don’t know yet, it will come.”<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The World Health Organization has more on preparing and preventing epidemics and pandemics<\/a>.<\/p>\n