Door handles, light switches, keyboards & the computer mouse (especially with shared desks), coffee machines and printers – they all are in direct contact with employees who may have just sneezed into their hands, or who have come straight from the metro or toilet, and are therefore hot spots for bacteria and viruses.
Even seemingly clean surfaces can be contaminated. If pathogens are passed on to the nose, mouth or eyes via the hands, employees can sometimes fall ill very quickly, depending on the germ involved.
Pathogens can survive on surfaces for some time – sometimes even months.1 Indirect contact infection via surfaces plays a secondary role in the transmission of diseases such as influenza or COVID-19, compared to airborne infection. Nevertheless, this route should also be reliably closed off in order to actually prevent any spreading.
Diarrhea-type diseases are mainly transmitted by contact or indirect contact infection. The pathogens, mostly noro and rota viruses, can also be picked up via toilet seats or other commonly used areas such as coffee kitchens or the canteen.
To prevent these indirect contact infections reliably, it is essential to disinfect surfaces regularly. mikrozid® sensitive and mikrozid® universal are particularly gentle on surfaces and equipment – including touchscreens, smartphones and tablets. Fast and widely effective (against E. coli, salmonella, rota, influenza and corona virus) within 1 oder 2 minutes, respectively
1 Otter JA, Donskey C, Yezli S, Douthwaite S, Goldenberg SD, Weber DJ. Transmission of SARS and MERS coronaviruses and influenza virus in healthcare settings: the possible role of dry surface contamination. J Hosp Infect. 2016;92(3):235-250. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2015.08.027. | 2 Kurgat EK et al. (2019) Impact of a Hygiene Intervention on Virus Spread in an Office Building. Int J Hyg Environ Health 222(3):479-485. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.01.001 | 3 Repp KK et al. (2013) A norovirus outbreak related to contaminated surfaces. J Infect Dis. 2013;208(2):295-298. doi:10.1093/infdis/jit148.