1
|
Anderson CE, Wolfe MK, Boehm AB. Enveloped and non-enveloped virus survival on microfiber towels. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15202. [PMID: 37073274 PMCID: PMC10106082 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Handwashing is an important intervention which can reduce indirect disease transmission, however soap and water for handwashing purposes is not available in some low-resource regions. When handwashing with soap and water is not possible, individuals may use alternatives such as the Supertowel (a microfiber towel with an antimicrobial coating). Testing of viral inactivation as a result of antimicrobial treatment on the Supertowel, however, has been limited. The goal of this study is to provide information about the performance of the Supertowel's antimicrobial treatment against viruses, which will help inform the use of the towels as handwashing alternatives. Methods We seeded the Supertowel and a regular microfiber towel with two bacteriophages (enveloped Phi6 and non-enveloped MS2) and monitored viral inactivation over time. Additionally, we assessed if temperature, humidity, whether the towel was initially wet or dry, or virus type had an effect on viral decay rate constants. Virus concentrations were measured repeatedly over 24 h. Results We found that neither towel type (whether the towel was a Supertowel or a regular microfiber towel) nor humidity were significant variables in our model of decay rate constants (P = 0.06 and P = 0.22, respectively). We found that the variables of temperature, whether towels were initially wet versus dry, and virus type were significantly different from 0, suggesting that these variables explained variance in the decay rate constant (P = 6.55 × 10-13, P = 0.001, and P < 2 × 10-16, respectively). Higher temperatures, dry towels, and enveloped viruses all resulted in increases in the decay rate constant. Conclusions Viruses seeded onto a Supertowel decay similar to viruses seeded onto a regular towel indicating that the virucidal potential of the Supertowel is minimal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlene K. Wolfe
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
- Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rahman Zuthi MF, Hossen MA, Pal SK, Mazumder MH, Hasan SMF, Hoque MM. Evaluating knowledge, awareness and associated water usage towards hand hygiene practices influenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. GROUNDWATER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2022; 19:100848. [PMID: 36164324 PMCID: PMC9493147 DOI: 10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Hand hygiene is considered as one of the most effective ways for preventing transmissible diseases, especially for preventing virus-borne diseases. The study has been conducted to evaluate changes in knowledge, awareness and practices of hand hygiene due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangladesh. The potential factors influencing human behaviours for maintaining hand hygiene have also been explored. Moreover, a probable increase in daily water demand associated with the changed situation has been assessed. An online survey was performed among a total of 367 Bangladeshi residents about their practices of hand hygiene during pre-corona, corona, and of their perceived future practices at post-corona period. It has been observed that a significant percentage (62.1%) of the respondents have received basic hygiene education at any level of their academic education. Nevertheless, their hygiene practices were very poor before the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the COVID-19 has reinforced their previous knowledge and greatly influenced their behavioural changes towards practicing hand hygiene as per World Health Organization guidelines for preventing the virus outbreak. The changes, however, have created increased water demand. The estimated water usage is found to be 2.68 times (9.15 L/c/d) and 2.52 times (8.59 L/c/d) higher in the corona and post-corona period respectively than that of the pre-corona situation (3.41 L/c/d). The principal component analysis (PCA) elucidated that an individual's practice of hand hygiene was associated with income, level of academic and hygiene education, and the COVID-19 outbreak itself. Moreover, the influence of hygiene education and COVID-19 outbreak affecting the duration of handwashing are found highly significant (p-value < 0.001) from the regression analysis. Raising awareness towards behavioural change of an individual about water usage, improvement of academic curriculum regarding hand hygiene and provision of water pricing are recommended to attain sustainable development goals of the country.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mst Farzana Rahman Zuthi
- Center for Environmental Science & Engineering Research (CESER), Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - Md Arif Hossen
- Center for Environmental Science & Engineering Research (CESER), Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - Sudip Kumar Pal
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - Maruful Hasan Mazumder
- Department of Disaster Engineering and Management, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - S M Farzin Hasan
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - Md Muzamamel Hoque
- Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
- Southern University Bangladesh, Chattogram, 4000, Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hosking R, O’Connor SY, Wangdi K, Kurscheid J, Lal A. Acceptability measures of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in low- and middle-income countries, a systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010702. [PMID: 36094954 PMCID: PMC9499221 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is an environmental risk factor for poor health outcomes globally, particularly for children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Despite technological advancements, many interventions aimed at improving WASH access return less than optimal results on long term impact, efficacy and sustainability. Research focus in the ‘WASH sector’ has recently expanded from investigating ‘which interventions work’ to ‘how they are best implemented’. The ‘acceptability’ of an intervention is a key component of implementation that can influence initial uptake and sustained use. Acceptability assessments are increasingly common for health interventions in clinical settings. A broad scale assessment of how acceptability has been measured in the WASH sector, however, has not yet been conducted.
Methods/Principal findings
We conducted a systematic literature review of intervention studies published between 1990 and 2021 that evaluated the acceptability of WASH interventions in LMIC settings. Using an implementation science approach, focused outcomes included how acceptability was measured and defined, and the timing of acceptability assessment. We conducted quality assessment for all included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised studies, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for non-randomised studies.
Of the 1238 records; 36 studies were included for the analysis, 22 of which were non-randomized interventions and 16 randomized or cluster-randomized trials. We found that among the 36 studies, four explicitly defined their acceptability measure, and six used a behavioural framework to inform their acceptability study design. There were few acceptability evaluations in schools and healthcare facilities. While all studies reported measuring WASH acceptability, the measures were often not comparable or described.
Conclusions
As focus in WASH research shifts towards implementation, a consistent approach to including, defining, and measuring acceptability is needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rose Hosking
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
| | - Suji Y O’Connor
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
| | - Kinley Wangdi
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
| | - Johanna Kurscheid
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Associate Institute of University of Basel, Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Aparna Lal
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Johnstone SL, Page NA, Groome MJ, Madhi SA, Mutevedzi P, Thomas J. Identifying gaps in hand hygiene practice to support tailored target audience messaging in Soweto: A cross-sectional community survey. S Afr J Infect Dis 2022; 37:339. [PMID: 35399561 PMCID: PMC8991282 DOI: 10.4102/sajid.v37i1.339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective risk communication is essential for outbreak mitigation, as recently highlighted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Hand hygiene is one of the proposed public health interventions to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) acquisition and transmission along with social distancing, improved ventilation, environmental cleaning, and wearing of masks. Improving hand hygiene practices in the community requires an understanding of the socio-behavioural context. This cross-sectional community survey in Soweto identified gaps in hand hygiene, which can inform appropriate messaging at the community level. Only 42% of survey respondents practiced adequate hand hygiene. Tailored educational messaging should be targeted at young adults in particular, and the importance of soap for hand hygiene must be emphasised for all age groups. Risk communication should expand to focus on preventing multiple infectious diseases during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan L Johnstone
- Centre for Enteric Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicola A Page
- Centre for Enteric Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Michelle J Groome
- Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shabir A Madhi
- South African Medical Research Council, Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Portia Mutevedzi
- South African Medical Research Council, Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Juno Thomas
- Centre for Enteric Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kweon H, Choi JW, Yoon SY. Analysis of Consumer Exposure Cases for Alcohol-Based Disinfectant and Hand Sanitizer Use against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 19:ijerph19010100. [PMID: 35010360 PMCID: PMC8750816 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The development and distribution of vaccines and treatments as well as the use of disinfectants and hand sanitizers to cope with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has increased rapidly. As the use of disinfectants and hand sanitizers increased, the number of unintended exposures to these substances also increased. A total of 8016 cases of toxic exposure to disinfectants and hand sanitizers were reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) from 1 January 2017 to 30 May 2021. The cases have been characterized by substance, sex, patient age, exposure reason and site, treatments received, and outcomes. The number of exposures correlates closely to the rise of COVID-19 cases, rising significantly in March 2020. About half of the total cases involved children less than 10 years old and 97% of those exposures per year were unintentional. In addition, the most common exposure site was the patient's own residence. Over-exposure to disinfectants and hand sanitizers can cause symptoms such as burning and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, chest tightness, headache, choking, and, in severe cases, death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyukmin Kweon
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- BenSci Inc., 4822 Elmwood Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004, USA
- Environmental Health Center, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Gumi 39371, Korea;
| | - Jae-Won Choi
- Environmental Health Center, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Gumi 39371, Korea;
| | - Seong-Yong Yoon
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Gumi 39371, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-54-468-9428
| |
Collapse
|