Is your wipe really sporicidal?

Sporicidal disinfectant wipes are being used increasingly for tackling surfaces contaminated with C. difficile spores in hospitals. A wide range of ‘sporicidal’ wipes are coming onto the market. However, concerning published data shows that some wipes marketed as being ‘sporicidal’ do not have meaningful activity against spores when tested under controlled laboratory conditions. This blog outlines three key questions…

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Antiseptics and disinfectants to support the prevention and control of Candida auris

Candida auris is an important emerging pathogen, which caused a large outbreak in a London hospital and has been reported from around the world. It shows a high level of resistance to antibiotics and appears to spread rapidly in hospitals. A new study evaluates the efficacy of various antiseptics and disinfectants that could support the prevention and control of C. auris.…

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Antimicrobial-impregnated patient hand wipes are a goer

A lab-based study using healthy volunteers has demonstrated that antimicrobial-impregnated hand wipes can do as well – if not better – than soap and water for hand hygiene. These findings provide more support for the idea that hand wipes could be a useful innovation in improving patient hand hygiene. The study aimed to evaluate the use of…

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Time to wipe away C. difficile from patients’ hands?

A US study has found that around 15% of patients with C. difficile infection have C. difficile contaminated hands, and that removing these spores from patients’ hands is challenging. The study was performed in a 500-bed US hospital. Around 50 patients with C. difficile infection were enrolled in the study, and randomised to either hand hygiene using either alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) or…

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GAMA Healthcare updates from Infection Prevention 2017

We all enjoyed Infection Prevention 2017 — and hope that you did too! Here’s a few scientific updates relating to our product range that were presented at the conference, published in the Journal of Infection Prevention: Please feel free to contact us if you’d like any more information about these updates.

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Clinell Training Package wins Best Educational App!

The Clinell Training Package has taken ‘Best educational app’ in the Best Mobile App awards. Developed in conjunction with some of the leading infection prevention and control (IPC) specialists in the UK, the Clinell Training Package is a tablet-based software package designed to arm infection prevention professionals with the very best tools in their fight against healthcare associated…

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GAMA Healthcare Disinfectant Compatibility Statement

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently published a Medical Devices Safety Update (vol. 5, no. 3, May 2017) which contained an article entitled ‘Disinfectants and detergents can damage medical equipment plastics’. GAMA Healthcare are aware that this has caused a lot of concern and confusion in the Australian marketplace. We welcome the publication of the…

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Could you wipe away viral illness at home?

An interesting study published a couple of years ago showed that transmission of bacteriophage used as a surrogate for respiratory viruses was reduced significantly by introducing a once-per-day hand wipe in the home environment. Could this suggest that hand wipes have a role in reducing viral illness at home? Five households, each containing two adults and three…

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Quats vs. hydrogen peroxide vs. VRE

A Dutch laboratory evaluation of four different disinfectant applied by either spraying or wiping has found that most are effective against key hospital pathogens. However, the hydrogen peroxide spray was ineffective against VRE, suggesting a problem with hydrogen peroxide stability. The study tested the ability of a hydrogen peroxide solution (branded a sporicidal), QAC, alcohol, and glucoprotamin…

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