CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Issues First Report Highlighting the Possible Role of Computer Equipment in Disease Transmission
DALLAS — When a District of Columbia Department of Health Investigation (DCDOH) tied an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that affected students and teachers in a local elementary school to contaminated computer equipment, the phone lines at Unotron, Inc. (www.unotron.com) lit up with inquiries. Results of the investigation, reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR;1-4-2008), noted this is the first conclusive report that confirms anecdotal evidence of the possible role of computer equipment in disease transmission.
"Imagine our sense of satisfaction when we learned that the DCDOH recommended that in order to control and prevent future infection, immediate measures include thorough hand-washing and regularly disinfecting frequently touched environmental surfaces, particularly computer keyboards and mice," says Joseph Carabello, a director of Unotron, the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of high quality, washable data input and security devices that are easily cleaned and disinfected to mitigate the spread of infection in healthcare, education, commercial and government environments. "This significant report documents that school children are at risk for infection when they work on computers that are shared by others. Unotron’s washable technology is a sanitary, cost-effective solution for creating a safer, germ-free educational environment."
He says that in addition, anti-bacterial additives impregnated in the plastic provide a secondary protection against viruses, noting, "This enhances the protection we can offer our students while preserving the costly technology needed in our classrooms."
The DCDOH launched the February 2007 investigation after receiving notification of the outbreak of illness in a pre-K through sixth grade school. Findings show that a computer keyboard and mouse in a first grade classroom tested positive for the same norovirus that was identified in stool specimens taken from two of the 103 infected persons at the school, which had a total of 380 students and staff members.
No other outbreaks were reported in the community. The investigation also eliminated food borne and most other high risk modes of disease transmission within the school. Samples were taken of 25 environmental surfaces, such as toilets, faucets, water fountains, doorknobs, and computer mice and keyboards from three different classrooms. Only one of the samples, taken from a computer keyboard in first-grade classroom "J" showed signs of the norovirus subtype GII. This virus, which causes most outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S., was also identified in the two stool specimens studied by the DCDOH.
The investigation isolated two factors significantly associated with the illness: being in classroom J and being in contact with an ill person. Classroom J was the only one in the school in which computers were shared among students and staff.
According to MMWR, lab studies documented that fingers contaminated with norovirus can transfer the virus to environmental surfaces, which can subsequently contaminate clean fingers with detectable amounts of norovirus. The virus in the school was most likely spread by shared use of the infected computer and/or person-to-person contact with someone who had already been infected.
"While standard computer keyboards and mice are difficult - if not impossible — to disinfect, since they are used frequently and subject to corrosion by most disinfectants, Unotron’s patented SpillSeal [R] technology allows electronic devices to be washed in a variety of disinfectant solutions that regular keyboards, mice, and smart-card readers cannot withstand," says Carabello.
About Unotron
With 30 years of OEM manufacturing experience, Unotron maintains a global footprint with offices located across North America, Europe and Asia, making everyday computing clean and safe for organizations around the world. Unotron designs, manufactures and markets high quality, washable data input and security devices that are easily cleaned and disinfected to mitigate the spread of infection in healthcare, education, commercial and government environments. Unotron holds patents for SpillSeal[R] technology and draws upon a catalogue of patents in automated manufacturing systems and office products. For more information, visit www.unotron.com or call 800.469.7440.
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