This Oct. 14-20, International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) will highlight the importance of infection prevention and the role infection preventionists, health care professionals, consumers, organizations and industry partners worldwide can play to promote health and prevent infection.
The campaign includes new Infection Prevention and You materials to help patients and family members prevent infection when in health care facilities. IIPW also features a free hand hygiene webinar on Oct. 18, and a downloadable state legislative advocacy toolkit to guide users in educating policymakers about how infection preventionists improve health care in their communities.
President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed the third week of October as National Infection Control Week in 1986 and it has since grown into international event to commemorate the importance of infection prevention in many countries. This week of recognition has expanded to every corner of the globe, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The 3 P’s of Disinfecting
In honor of IIPW, ITW Dymon has released “The 3 P's of Disinfecting” to help cleaning professionals who represent the front lie in preventing the spread of viruses and contagious diseases. These recommendations include:
Product. Use disinfectants registered by EPA, which ensures they have been scientifically tested and proven to perform for their intended use. Look for an EPA registration number on the product label or visit the EPA database at http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm.
Procedure. Follow the proper procedure when applying a product. Every disinfectant lists a "contact time" or a "dwell time" on the label that could be from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Surfaces being disinfected must be left wet with the product for the entire duration of this time. If not, the disinfectant may fail to kill all the germs and the disinfectant must be reapplied.
Place. For the cleaning product and procedure to be effective, it's critical to clean the proper places. Disinfect high-traffic areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, break rooms, office areas, classrooms, locker rooms and cafeterias often. Other surfaces prone to contact include desks, tables, chairs, benches, lockers, toys, door knobs, light switches, sinks, toilets, showers and refrigerator exteriors, to name a few.
“By keeping the 3 P's of Disinfecting in mind, cleaners can further ensure they maintain the most effective first-line of defense in preventing the outbreak of disease,” said Rich Bucher, ITW Dymon director of sales and marketing .