Viruses can spread like wildfire, and fast. In the case of a study conducted by the University of Arizona in Tucson, a virus can spread in a matter of hours. What's more interesting is that the culprit of the spread of a virus can be as ubiquitous as an office door handle.
However, the researchers found that when employees keep a hand sanitizer handy and disinfect regularly at their work stations, the viral transmission significantly drops. These findings were reported at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy last September 8, 2014.
In the study, microbiologist Charles Gerba and fellow researchers planted an annocuous virus on a tabletop or doorknob in three different settings: an office, a health care facility, and a conference room.
To address ethical concerns, consent was requested by the research team, and granted by the workers, employees, and everyone concerned in the three settings. Also, the virus that was used was one that infects bacteria and not people, so the chances of causing disease and other concerns were slim. This virus was not present in the three settings prior to the research. Meanwhile, it sticks to human hands and surfaces, just like a norovirus, the virus that affects humans.
After two to four hours of planting the virus, the researchers found that it had spread and showed up on 40 to 60 percent of the employees present in the three settings. The virus was seen on various surfaces and places such as the bed rails in the health care facility, the coffee break room in the office, on computers, and phones.
Gerba and colleagues then offered alcohol or amonia-based wipes for hand and surface disinfection. Although only half of them used the wipes, the researchers found that the presence of the virus was already greatly reduced to up to 80%.
Gerba concludes that disinfecting makes a lot of difference in preventing viral spread, therefore reducing the odds of developing diseases like colds and flu.