Norovirus outbreak aboard cruise ship eradicated by revolutionary
vaporisation process
28 August 2009
The cruise ship Marco Polo, whose round-Britain cruise had to be
cancelled because hundreds of passengers became ill with the vomiting
bug Norovirus, has been disinfected by SitexOrbis' revolutionary
infection control fogging service in just 5 hours at the Tilbury docks.
During that time 375 rooms on 11 decks plus public spaces, lifts and
communal areas were disinfected.
"The sheer speed with which SitexOrbis have solved the problem has
been amazing" commented Christian Verhounig of the ship's operator. "We
are extremely impressed, as it took only a few hours to disinfect the
ship, rather than days of cleansing by traditional methods."
David Walker, Chief Executive of SitexOrbis, said "We are delighted
to have been able to provide rapid assistance to ensure that the ship is
disinfected and back in operation."
The SitexOrbis infection control process fills every space in the
premises with a 'vapour' of a special disinfectant, called Activ8, which
is harmless to human beings and animals, but kills 99.99% of life
threatening bacteria and viruses, including salmonella, MRSA,
Clostridium Difficile, SARS, Listeria, avian flu and H5N1 influenza A
type viruses. A similar strain of influenza virus H1N1 is responsible
for the current swine 'flu outbreak.
Activ8 is frequently used by SitexOrbis teams in schools, hospitals,
offices, leisure facilities and workplaces where Norovirus outbreaks can
occur.
It is estimated that Norovirus affects between 600,000 and 1 million
people a year in the UK. The disinfectant Activ8 has been scientifically
tested to be totally effective against Norovirus and other pathogens.
The treatment of rooms only takes a few minutes with a minimum of
disruption and, after sealing the premises for just an hour, the space
is safe and ready to use again. Because of its speed and capabilities,
it is more cost-effective than traditional steam-cleaning and less
disruptive.
As with all disinfection processes, Activ8 cannot prevent
re-infection of those using premises, or a ship, by new visitors or
passengers who carry the virus. The incubation period of Norovirus is
between 24 and 48 hours, so reappearance of the infection weeks after
disinfection is no reflection on the effectiveness of the Activ8
service.
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