Need for Uniform Standards Covering UV-C Based Antimicrobial Disinfection Devices

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2016-08, Vol.37 (8), p.1000-1001
• Main Author: Cowan, Troy E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; Cross Infection - prevention & control; Disinfection & disinfectants; Disinfection - instrumentation; Disinfection - standards; Environmental protection; Health care industry; Hospitals; Letters to the Editor; Nursing; Occupational health; Pathogens; Prevention; Research methodology; Scientists; Staphylococcus infections; Ultraviolet radiation; Ultraviolet Rays; United States; United States Environmental Protection Agency
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1017/ice.2016.130

On June 26, 2014, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Research and Technology described HAIs as the most common complication of hospital care, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that HAIs cause or contribute to as many as 99,000 deaths annually.1 More recently, the CDC stated that 1 in every 25 hospital patients will be treated for an HAI.2 The 2 most difficult pathogens to prevent are Clostridium difficile (C.diff), which causes nearly 20,000 deaths per year,3 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which causes nearly 19,000 deaths per year.4 Both are preventable with antimicrobial UV-C devices. UV-C Ultraviolet Light Technology Transition UV-C kills HAI pathogens, with maximum bactericidal effect at a wavelength of 250 nm. The Challenge Do the medical experts performing the peer reviews or scientists who perform the studies, the hospital administrators or the third-party scientists, industry representatives or even the EPA have a responsibility to step up and take an action advocating and implementing UV-C efficacy standards? “Professional organizations in infection prevention and occupational health are well positioned to take leadership in this effort by establishing joint committees and engaging with funders to set priorities and a time table to move the research and improved practice guidance forward.”