Q&A: Study’s Author Explains How Lysol Battles COVID-19
Julie McKinney, PhD: “If you’re going to disinfect, you’re going to let it sit for three minutes and then you’re going to wipe it. If you’re going to sanitize, you only have to leave it for 30 seconds and then wipe.”
A study in the American Journal of Infection Control got a lot of attention a couple of weeks ago when it said that certain Lysol products are effective against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Environmental Protection Agency quickly agreed. Julie McKinney, PhD, global director of microbiology and virology at Reckitt Benckiser, the company that makes the products, recently sat down with Infection Control Today® to talk about what precipitated the study and what might be the broader ramifications of the findings. Those ramifications expand beyond the healthcare environment. “Everybody is going to have to increase their level of cleaning and disinfection and sanitation, if they’re going to have consumers come into their spaces…,” says McKinney. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests from industry to be able to help them understand how to best use the products in their environment.”
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
Back to Basics: Hospital Restores Catheter-Associated UTI Rates to Prepandemic Baseline
June 16th 2025A 758-bed quaternary medical center slashed catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) by 45% over 2 years, proving that disciplined adherence to fundamental prevention steps, not expensive add-ons, can reverse the pandemic-era spike in device-related harm.
