Abstract: Infectious diseases can be transmitted to humans, or between humans and animals, by airborne viruses and bacteria, known as infectious aerosols. Current protective measures that individuals can take to avoid inhaling such aerosols are either marginally effective (personal face masks) or impractical (self-contained breathing apparatuses). Building ventilation systems employing high-efficiency filters to prevent distribution of such aerosols suffer from high energy costs and high filter replacement costs. The development of conventional, intramuscularly administered vaccines takes months or years to produce enough doses to protect a population from a rapidly spreading infectious disease. Airborne viruses and bacteria have been shown to be completely inactivated when exposed to non-thermal plasmas.