Environmental Services

By all accounts, Ebola-the disease that has long struck fear in us as images of suffering in sub-Sahara Africa fill our TV screens and movies depict uncontrolled outbreaks-has now become a very real pandemic that is wiping out villages and rapidly crossing borders. As I write this article, the virus has killed nearly 5,000 people with thousands more infected. The United Nations estimates that it will need more than $1 billion to fight the epidemic and President Obama has already begun sending an estimated 4,000 U.S. military personnel and many more military medical staff to train the thousands of healthcare providers who will be needed to care for patients and prevent transmission of the disease.

This Pulse reviews the microbial levels found on common surfaces in the healthcare environment, pathogen persistence, and transmission mechanics, and provides suggestions for effective cleaning and disinfection.