Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September 2018 Vol.13 No.4 | Page 28

Hygiene
Drug resistant bacteria found in biofilm
on 93% of critical care hospital surfaces
can now be tackled
Dry surface
biofilm has
been found to
exist on 93% of
all critical care
area hospital
surfaces and
over 50% of
these biofilms
contain mutant
germs which
are resistant to antibiotics; resulting in healthcare acquired
infections. The US Environmental Protection Agency has
this week registered the first product to be effective against
these biofilms.
Medentech is announcing the efficacy of its effervescent
NaDCC disinfection tablet for cleaning and disinfection.
“This is something I might never see in my lifetime again,”
says Michael Gately, CEO Medentech.
“Biofilms give germs 1,000 times more protection, thus
standard disinfectants such as bleach, hydrogen peroxide
or ultraviolet light, don’t work properly. The EPA has
developed a new efficacy protocol and I am delighted to
say that our NaDCC effervescent disinfection tablets are
the first and only product to have passed this test.”
Background:
Most germs on hospital surfaces live in a biofilm. A
biofilm comprises any group of microorganisms in which
cells stick to a surface. These adherent cells become
embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix. Following
initial research by Professor Karen Vickery, Hu et al have
evidenced the existence of biofilm on 93% of all critical
care area surfaces with over 50% of these containing
mutant germs.
Mutant germs are multi drug resistant organisms which
cause HAIs. Approximately 722,000 HAIs occur annually
in U.S. acute care hospitals resulting in 75,000 deaths (CDC
2014).
A new tool has emerged as a broad-spectrum cleaner &
disinfectant that eliminates pathogens without damaging
surfaces.
Klorkleen 2 disinfectant is the first product to receive
EPA registration for its Biofilm efficacy (EPA 71847-7).
Klorkleen 2 is a powerful surface disinfectant based on
sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) with registered
claims as a hospital grade disinfectant that meets the
surface disinfection requirements of OSHA Bloodborne
Pathogens Standards. Kill claims include Clostridium
difficile spores, Norovirus, Tb, CRE.
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September 2018
By comparing C. diff rates in UK hospitals (where
NaDCC is used) and US hospitals (where bleach is used),
we can see their relative effectiveness.
Starting in 2008, UK hospitals began switching from
bleach to NaDCC, due to COSHH regulations. This
change to NaDCC was based on health & safety
requirements.
By the end of 2010, the changeover was complete with all
UK hospitals said to be using NaDCC.
The graph above shows the impact of the change in
C. diff rates in UK hospitals and how those hospitals
compare to US hospitals which still use bleach.
Medentech is part of the Kersia Group. Medentech
products are used in over 140 countries. The company is
perhaps best known for its ‘Aquatabs’ brand of emergency
water purification tablets, of which over one billion are
used annually.
Mark Hodgson is looking forward to presenting the
Biofilm Solution at @AHE Exchange 2018; an important
event for healthcare professionals with a stake in the
environment of care.
Lymphatic Filariasis
Lymphatic
filariasis (LF)
is a mosquito-
borne parasitic
disease caused
by microscopic,
thread-like worms.
Globally, 120
million people
in 80 countries
are affected by LF, and the disease is the second leading
cause of permanent and long-term disability worldwide.
Adult worms cause permanent damage to the human
lymphatic system that results in swelling of the limbs and
breasts (lymphedema) and scrotum (hydrocele), or swollen
limbs with severely thickened, hard, rough and fissured
skin (elephantiasis). Affected people frequently are unable
to work because of their disability, and this harms their
families and their communities.
Lymphatic filariasis can be eliminated. To achieve that
goal, the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis
was established and set a target elimination date of 2020.
Elimination will be achieved primarily through regular
mass drug administration in affected communities (1). In
most countries, a single dose of two drugs (albendazole
and diethyl-carbamazine or albendazole and ivermectin) is
administered annually to the entire population in an at-risk
area. In order to interrupt the spread of LF and eliminate
the disease, coverage must reach a minimum of 80% of
the population for an estimated duration of 6-7 years