Surface disinfection

Viruses may persist on surfaces for several days or even months [20] and can be transferred directly from contaminated surfaces to susceptible individuals [21]. Therefore, the disinfection of surfaces frequently touched by patients and staff such as door handles, faucets and railings plays an important role in the prevention and control of viral outbreaks in healthcare settings. Disinfectants must be tested for their efficacy under standardised, close to real-life conditions to ensure that they are able to inactivate viruses. This approach has long been standardised according to European principles for testing the bactericidal activity of chemical disinfectants [22,23]. Bactericidal disinfectants are tested stepwise according to European test principles, starting with a suspension test (EN phase 2, step 1) and then a quantitative non-porous carrier test simulating practical conditions (EN phase 2, step 2) [18]. It is also possible for the activity of virucidal products intended for surface disinfection to be tested under practical conditions (phase 2, step 2) according to the EN 16777 standard [24,25].