Medline announced the EPA has cleared its Micro-Kill Bleach Germicidal Bleach Wipes to be marketed as killing the Candida auris (C. auris) fungus on hard, non-porous surfaces.
The fungus, which has a mortality rate of 35 percent, has been shown to linger in healthcare facilities despite efforts to eradicate it with traditional disinfectants. The fungus, which can be difficult to treat, has caused outbreaks worldwide, including New York and Chicago.
“Candida auris has emerged as a new and alarming threat, and until now healthcare providers and environmental staff (EVS) had no proven tools to combat it. What we’ve shown with the Micro-Kill Bleach Germicidal wipes is an effective way to disinfect hospital surfaces, where C. auris tends to be persistence in the environment. Our goal is to take a proactive approach to combating this pathogen,” says Rosie D. Lyles, MD, director of clinical affairs at Medline. “Through the collective work of Medline’s infection prevention team, we’ve developed a way to effectively reduce cross contamination of C. auris using Micro-kill bleach and proper hand hygiene.”
After years of development and rigorous testing, EVS associates can now begin using the wipes as part of infection prevention-informed room turnovers and nurses can use them on medical equipment and high-touch surfaces. The announcement solidifies Micro-Kill Bleach Germicidal Bleach Wipes’ place in Medline’s industry-leading portfolio of infection prevention strategies and products.
The EPA’s label approval of the Micro-Kill Bleach Germicidal Bleach Wipes in the fight against C. auris is just the latest development in Medline’s industry-leading, comprehensive infection prevention approach. Combining hand hygiene, decolonization and environmental cleaning with products like Micro-Kill Beach Germicidal Bleach Wipes, Medline helps hospitals, long-term care facilities and other clinics across the country keep their patients and caregivers safe. The ERASE Pathogens program combines all these elements into a holistic program that helps reduce costly and dangerous hospital-acquired and surgical-site infections.
