Stay Vigilant About Hand Hygiene Through the End of Summer and Beyond

STOKO® Skin Care offers CliniShield® Instant Hand Sanitizer, specially formulated for healthcare professionals. It is designed to be effective against a broad spectrum of organisms associated with the most commonly occurring healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), including those listed in the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System Report. Its bacterial efficacy has been demonstrated in both in-vitro and in-vivo testing as specified by the FDAs Tentative Final Monograph for healthcare antiseptic drug products. In addition, it also contains a humectant that leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth after the product dries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single most important way to prevent the transmission of diseases is to frequently wash ones hands with soap and water. But in the absence of handwashing facilities, the CDC recommends the use of ethanol-based hand sanitizers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that hand sanitizers must contain at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol.

"Although data from the CDC indicate that reported cases of H1N1 influenza have leveled off, mirroring the typical cases of seasonal flu in the summer months, the need to continue the use of ethanol-based hand sanitizers has not decreased," notes Lori Huffman, marketing manager. "Families on vacation should be vigilant about proper hand hygiene." Moreover, exposure to seasonal flu, summer colds and other respiratory infections, as well as the potential exposure to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from shared towels and sports equipment, creates the need for instant hand sanitizing products to be used frequently.

"STOKO® Skin Care has been an industry pioneer in the use of natural ingredients, such as the use of castor oil in several of our heavy-duty products," notes Ron Shuster, product line director. "Our R&D department works diligently to include natural ingredients to increase the greening of our products while at the same time improving skin compatibility. This includes the sanitizers we offer. STOKO® Skin Care sanitizers are eco-friendly, meeting the BioPreferredSM standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

STOKO® instant hand sanitizers have been independently tested and found to meet USDA criteria for "biobased" products, thus attaining BioPreferred status. The USDA defines "biobased" as commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) that are composed in whole or in significant part, of biological products, renewable agricultural materials, or forestry materials. Biobased products are quickly replacing petroleum-based products.

CliniShield Instant Hand Sanitizer is part of a wide range of STOKO® skin care cleansing products that are certified as USDA BioPreferred. These also include: CliniShield® Gentle Skin Cleanser, Estesol® Skin Cleanser, Kresto® Select and Solopol® Hand Cleaners, and STOKO Refresh® Moisturizing Foam.