A new disinfection technique that pumps a gas mixture into hospital and hotel rooms holds great promise in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Chances are you know someone who went to the hospital for a routine procedure and ended up catching an infectious disease. Hospitals are germ incubators, and with the recent advent of superbugs that are resistant to treatment by antibiotics, cleaning and disinfection of hospitals has become more important than ever.
A Queen’s University infectious disease expert has helped to develop a hospital disinfection system that may revolutionize how hospital rooms—and even hotel rooms—are cleaned.
No bugs
An added bonus is the new system can stop bed bug outbreaks as well.
How it works
The process involves pumping an ozone and hydrogen peroxide vapour gas mixture into a room. The gas sterilizes everything in the room, including walls, floors, drapes, mattresses and other furniture, and other surfaces in less than an hour—and apparently has a pleasant smell.
It kills bacteria much more effectively than wiping down a room. It also destroys viruses and mold.
Other uses
This technique could be used in food preparation areas and processing plants to kill listeria outbreaks, for example, and could be used to disinfect cruise ships after an infectious outbreak.
Saving lives—and money
More than 100,000 patients die in North America every year from preventable hospital-acquired infections at a cost to the medical system of approximately $30 billion. This truly could be a revolutionary health breakthrough.
