[Correspondence] New aerosol terminology in the transmission of pathogens

In their new report published in April, 2024, WHO eliminated size-related terminology, such as droplets (ie, Earth-bound large particles), aerosols (ie, airborne small particles), and the cutoff size used to distinguish them, from official debates on infectious diseases transmission. Instead, WHO proposed the terms direct deposition and airborne transmission or inhalation under the umbrella of the new descriptor, transmission through the air, to describe the modes by which pathogens are transmitted.