Contamination of just a single doorknob or tabletop can result in the spread of viruses throughout healthcare facilities, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.

Within two to four hours, the virus could be detected on 40 percent to 60 percent of workers and visitors in the facilities and commonly touched objects, according to research presented at the 54th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

The answer to stopping the virus from spreading is using disinfecting wipes containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATS) registered by EPA as effective against viruses like norovirus and flu, along with hand hygiene, reduced virus spread by 80 percent to 99 percent, according to Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona, Tucson, who presented the study.

In the study's intervention phase, cleaning personal were provided with QUATS wipes and instructed on proper use. The number of fomites on which virus was detected was reduced by 80 percent or greater and the concentration of virus reduced by 99 percent or more.

Read the article.