A virus transmitted from computers to humans

Rémi Charlebois

virus-norwalk-norovirus

Virus on my keyboard, really?

Did you know that your keyboard and mouse are covered with bacteria and viruses? This may sound obvious when we think about it. Using computers is very common and the risk to be infected seems banal. However, in certain environments such as hospitals this contamination could reveal critical.

In fact, many bacteria and virus breaks have been associated with computers. It’s the case for a hospital in Great Britain, where a study revealed that 42% of tested keyboards were contaminated with the MRSA bacteria, which was directly related to higher MRSA infections as compared to other hospitals where keyboard contamination was lower (1). Another study carried out in Great Britain found that keyboards had been a breeding-ground for the norovirus, which then lead to a break of gastro-enteritis. A virus transmitted from computers to humans… who would’ve thought about that!

Don’t panic, solutions exist!

First and unforgettable is hand washing. In order to limit bacteria and virus spreads, hand washing is essential. Then, to avoid washing our hands every time we use a computer, an alcohol-based antiseptic liquid would do the trick. If our hands are dirty, washing hands before touching the keyboard is also recommended. Finally, it is wise to disinfect your keyboard and mouse from time to time. A renowned researcher named William Rutala, or Bill for his friends, has demonstrated that computer keyboards do not seem to deteriorate after being cleaned 300 times with different disinfectant solutions.

Long story short, we often forget daily objects as being a breeding-ground for viruses and bacteria. For example, mobile phones are often neglected as well despite the fact that we touch them and constantly put them on our face.

But no need to become hypochondriac, it’s enough to follow basic preventive measures. In other words, make little changes and set frequent disinfections based on the risk associated with your environment.

 

(1). Devine J., Is methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination of ward-based computer terminals a surrogate marker for nosocomial MRSA transmission and handwashing compliance? J Hosp Infect. 2001;48:72-5

(2). Morter S., et coll. Norovirus in the hospital setting: virus introduction and spread within the hospital environment. J. Hosp Infect. 2011 Feb;77(2):106-12

A Brief History of Bleach

Gaétan Lanthier
Javel Underground, Paris, France (Bleach)

JAVEL Undergroud Station in Paris. Photo courtesy of Google Street View

Bleach has been studied for the first time by a French chemist named Claude Louis Berthollet in 1775. His factory was based in Paris in the district of… Javel! That is why the French are calling it: Eau de Javel (Javel Water).

At first, bleach was used for laundry and as a fade. From 1820, a pharmacist named Antoine Germain Labarraque studied more deeply its disinfecting properties . In the XIX Century, it was commonly used as a disinfectant and water treatment. The NASA used bleach during the Apollo program to disinfect the Apollo XI rocket after its return, in order to avoid contaminating Earth with potential dangerous viruses!

What is Bleach?

Bleach is composed of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). For chemistry fans, its chemical formula is as follows:

Cl2 + 2 NaOH → NaCl + NaClO + H2O.

For those who don’t like chemistry, well… the formula is the same!

What’s new?

Nowadays, bleach is still used as a disinfectant. Stabilized formulas enable to combine the disinfecting ability of chlorine together with the cleaning ability of surfactants.

Other references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach

We have cleaning solution for you

Visit our web site at www.lalema.com. You will find what you need to distinfect with sodium hypochlorite solution. We are also he owner of Certiklor Technology

How to obtain a more effective disinfection with Certiklör?

What is Certiklör? The name of a new chemical? A new government certification?

None of the above! Simply put, Certiklör technology is the insurance for you, your patients and all Canadians to achieve a better, more efficient and high quality disinfection. Certiklör is a proprietary technology developed by Lalema for you. This technology ensures that you have in the bottle, an effective stabilized hypochlorite, and here to stay!

A Wednesday Tale: Romans used to say: Automate your restrooms

Gaétan Lanthier

roman_legionaire_restrooms

This is not really that the Romans would tell each other after a rough battle against the Gallic, but nowadays the battle is never ending and merciless against the irreducible microbes!

Certain bacteria are good for us

And yet, most of bacteria are good for us, simply think of yoghurts or biological products and you’ll see that not all bacteria must be eliminated!

In certain environments such as at home, it’s not necessary to eradicate all microbial activity on the surfaces. It’s still better do it in an operating room though!

Let’s talk about public restrooms

Whether it is in a clinic, at school, in a shopping mall, a restaurant, or even at the office, certain people are a bit reluctant to touch surfaces. And you?

Conceive the ideal restroom

In this room, you will find accessories that have been conceived based on 3 fundamental criteria:

  • Infection spread risk reduction
  • Consumption reduction (environment protection)
  • Comfort and well-being of the user

Among these items, you’ll find:

The best way to discover the ideal restrooms is to visit our web site at www.lalema.com. 

We hope that you found this post informative and fun. Subscribe to this blog! You just need to write your e-mail address below. Thank you.

Ebola virus, Are we Ready?

Rémi Charlebois

ebola virus

We recently learned that Senegal has been hit by the Ebola epidemic outbreak in Africa. This makes Senegal the sixth country affected by the epidemic. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC), said that the epidemic has a high chance of degenerating and that the outbreak may quickly spread outside Africa1. Appealing for international aid, the scientific community is now seeing the epidemic on the verge of becoming an unprecedented pandemic.

Are we ready to deal with a global pandemic of Ebola?

Western public health agencies are meant reassuring. Our hospitals are better equipped to deal with potential cases. The Quebec ministry of health issued a policy of transparency and now discloses suspected cases in Quebec on ​​its web site.

What to do to prevent the spread of Ebola virus in your institute?

Quebec Hospitals can refer to the official guide written by l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec. This fact sheet sets out the recommendations of the Comité sur les infections nosocomiales du Québec (CINQ) for Ebola virus disease prevention and control measures for Quebec hospitals. This document may be found here.

  • Use a 5% bleach solution (sodium hypochlorite) with a concentration of 5000 ppm to disinfect surfaces or objects contaminated by blood or other body fluids.
  • Use a 5000 ppm chlorine solution for the final disinfection.

Disinfection is, therefore, more than ever critical for limiting the spread of infection. The quality of the product is critical. Ebola is generally considered the world’s most dangerous viruses. Might as well use the best disinfectant!

1. http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/emerging-diseases/news/online/%7Bbb2c88ec-5c61-491e-8e94-c726cc1e795b%7D/cdc-ebola-case-numbers-likely-to-increase-significantly

Ebola, How to disinfect surfaces

Rémi Charlebois

ebola-disinfect-surface-ali-flex-rtu

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is slowly becoming an epidemic that is spreading beyond Africa. Although the risk of transmission is relatively low, it is the largest ever recorded outbreak of Ebola. WHO, CDC and other NGOs have declared a state of emergency and fight tirelessly to limit the outbreak.

Importance of hygiene when it comes to Ebola

The debate today is polarized on the ethical use of experimental drugs. However, few media state of the propagation modes and the importance of hygiene against this virus. Although transmission is being achieved mainly by direct contact between two people, contaminated objects and surfaces can present a risk that is hard to assessed. Thus, the CDC and WHO suggest that objects in direct contact with the patient must be decontaminated properly and that medical or objects contaminated with body fluids must be incinerated.

Stabilized Sodium Hypochlorite

All well and good, but what product can be used to disinfect appropriately? Ebola Virus Outbreak Guidelines written by members of the Ministry of Public Health of Gabon suggest the use of sodium hypochlorite.

We do not always know the microbial threats we face, but if in doubt use a disinfectant caliber is required.

Cleaning in Hospitals (part 4)

Gaétan Lanthier

Work_Organization

How can proper work organization contribute to the cleanliness of a hospital? How to be in the right place with the right equipment? Here are the questions we are going to answer in this post of the Cleaning in Hospitals series.

Evaluation of production needs

First, we need to assess the needs in hygiene and cleanliness. In order to do this, a standard evaluation is preferable but it needs to be adjusted based on the type of place, units, and traffic.

It is during the evaluation of needs that the hygiene and cleanliness estimate (see Cleaning in Hospitals part 2) is going to be determined. All daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks have to be considered.

Usually, the results are presented by production yields (square meters/hour) or FTE (Full Time Equivalent).

How to reduce time waste

How to measure productivity in a context where an important aspect of the task is moving? Actually, hygiene and cleanliness departments are almost always in the basement, whereas most of their work happens on the floors!

We increase productivity by reducing traveling.

It is for this reason that the cleaning cart needs to be as complete as possible and the water sources or janitor’s closets well stocked with supplies (i.e.: paper products or waste bags), equipment, and sanitary products.
Moreover, it is important to remember that a good entrance carpet can greatly reduce dirt.

Have a successful day!

Here are a few hints on how to have a successful day:

  • Establish a sequence of actions to perform in a day/week/month
  • Define a sequential order of rooms
  • Integrate linked and periodical tasks (monthly)
  • Make sure to have time gaps to focus on periodical tasks (dusting of high surfaces, polishing, etc.)
  • Minimize traveling
  • Work by space and not by task
  • Distribute tasks equitably
  • One look is worth a thousand words: choose a colorful plan together with some graphics instead of a list of tasks on a word file!

This is all for this series of posts on Cleaning in Hospitals! Don’t forget that we’re always here to help, don’t hesitate to book an appointment by calling 514.645.2753 or subscribe to one of our training seminars. I really hope that you liked this serie of posts!

 

References:
Hygiène et salubrité en milieux de soins – Démarche pour le développement de stratégies d’entretien des surfaces, MSSS, 2010, 52 pages.

Cleaning in Hospitals (part 3)

Gaétan Lanthier

cleaning-hospital-staff

The hygiene and cleanliness staff represents a key element in the fight against infections in hospital environments. Often little valued, their role in the global strategy of surface cleaning is extremely important.

The hygiene that comes from the work of the cleaning staff requires a high performance level. In order to reach that, the executing staff and the managers need to master all the different elements representing this profession.

Cleaning products and equipment are undeniably crucial in order to ensure performance during the environment asepsis of any establishment. Therefore, it is important to associate the day-to-day actions of the cleaning staff with a range of products and equipment that favor the quality of their performance.

Since several years, partly due to the devotion and the involvement of many members in the healthcare system, we take into consideration new factors:

  • Provincial training
  • Establishment of an AEP hygiene and cleanliness in healthcare environments of 630 hours now offered by many school boards
  • Provincial day of hygiene and cleanliness
  • Etc.

Having said this, the hygiene and cleanliness staff deserves our deepest gratitude. Thank you so much!

The next post is going to talk more in detail about one aspect of their profession: work organization.

Don’t miss any posts about this series, subscribe to this blog!

References:

Hygiène et salubrité en milieux de soins – Démarche pour le développement de stratégies d’entretien des surfaces, MSSS, 2010, 52 pages.

Cleaning in Hospitals (part 2)

Gaétan Lanthier

cleaning-hospitals

Cleaning in hospitals allows reducing risks of infection among patients. This is not the only factor, of course: good personal hygiene habits such as washing hands and the use of protective equipment such as overalls, gloves, masks, or protective glasses are also important elements.

For this reason, interventions must be well coordinated in order to have a good surface maintenance plan. The manager of hygiene and cleanliness should therefore take into account:

  • The type of place associated to the level of risk
  • The tasks to perform
  • The required cleaning frequency

If well applied, a detailed estimate allows validating the cleaning performance.

 

The global approach is going to be determined by type of place:

  • Regular eradication (e.g.: operating rooms)
  • Keeping environmental effects as light as possible (e.g.: low infection risk such as individual office spaces)
  • Balance of microorganisms. This approach is based on the competition between good and bad microbes. The presence of good microbes guarantees less space for bad microbes to grow (e.g.: living environments)
  • Green cleaning. Approach that uses less toxic products
  • Review and improve arrangements and/or surfaces (during conception or renovation)

The next post of this series is going to talk about another key factor: the hygiene and cleanliness staff.

References:

Le nettoyage dans les hôpitaux du 21e siècle by Dr. Stephanie J. Dancer, Medical, Microbiology, Hairmyres Hospital, UK appeared on the magazine Le Nettoyage professionnel, July/August 2012.

Hygiène et salubrité en milieux de soins – Démarche pour le développement de stratégies d’entretien des surfaces, MSSS, 2010, 52 pages.

Cleaning in Hospitals (part 1)

Gaétan Lanthier

hospital-cleaning

For a long time, cleaning has been all about the look; fresh smell and the absence of stains or dirt were the criteria to determine that a place is clean. Today, these criteria are still generally accepted in environments such as offices and classrooms.

It’s common knowledge, however, that microbes (bacteria or viruses) invisible to the human eye represent a risk for spreading infections. Take the example of the influenza virus: it can survive for up to 48 hours on a hard surface!

Without cleaning and disinfection procedures or a quality check procedure, microbes can survive in hospital environments.

Three key elements have to be considered in order to perform an infective risk analysis:

  • Is the patient carrying a disease agent? Disease agents are classified based on their spreading capacity and their virulence. The choice of a disinfectant will be based on this.
  • Do the functional activities of a sector represent a risk of spreading infections from the environment? E.g.: food service, offices, Intensive Care, etc.
  • The intensity of contact is related to the traffic and the surfaces that are more likely to be touched. E.g.: bathroom fittings.

Have you already performed an infective risk analysis? The next post is going to explain how cleaning allows reducing risks of infection among patients.

Don’t miss any posts about this series, subscribe to this blog! You just need to write your e-mail address, it’s that easy!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

References:

Le nettoyage dans les hôpitaux du 21e siècle by Dr. Stephanie J. Dancer, Medical, Microbiology, Hairmyres Hospital, UK appeared on the magazine Le Nettoyage professionnel, July/August 2012.

Hygiène et salubrité en milieux de soins – Démarche pour le développement de stratégies d’entretien des surfaces, MSSS, 2010, 52 pages.