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RSV Cleaning and Prevention

Categories: Cleaning for Health & Safety

By Stefan Wagener | October 28, 2022 << Back to Articles RSV Cleaning and Prevention

There’s another virus that can causes a lot of problems, especially in very young kids. It’s called respiratory syncytial virus but no need to remember that long name, RSV will do.

It’s the time of the year when all these nasty respiratory viruses make their appearance again, especially since we’ve scaled back our own protective measures. Remember the mask, the frequent handwashing, all the cleaning and disinfection, and the physical distancing? Yes, those were powerful tools that helped us NOT to get sick. Just look back over the last two years and the number of infections with RSV, influenza, etc. were way down. 

This fall, we have young children flooding emergency rooms and some are very sick. Unless you are older or have an underlying medical condition, adults normally fare much better, but we also are the ones that can spread RSV. The indicators are typical cold symptoms, coughing, sneezing, all of which spread the stuff all over. In the air, on the surfaces, and in people’s faces. Children, the elderly, or those who are immunocompromised suffer because their immune system is still weak.

What can you do?

Here is the good news. You don’t have to spread it. Everything we did for COVID-19, and hopefully, we are still doing will take care of RSV. It’s simple, the virus is easily deactivated by detergents and all the sanitizers and disinfectants we use for COVID-19 because both have a fatty envelope that is easily messed up (the soap and fat idea). Also, RSV doesn’t last that long on surfaces. So targeted cleaning and disinfection will take care of it.

Now, remember, protect the little ones! Don’t cough and sneeze all over them. If you are sick, keep your “nasty stuff” to yourself. Sneeze in your elbow, wash your hands, wear a mask, keep things clean and don’t bring the cold to your work!!!

If you are a professional cleaner, you most likely already have all the cleaning and disinfection tools you need. Remember to read the label! Dust off your sprayer (it is an efficient and effective final disinfection step). Just think of COVID-19, the same work practices work!

The way forward

Let’s keep one thing in mind. This will be an ongoing battle; we are at war. We will always fight cold, flu, and COVID-19 viruses and others. How bad it’s getting is up to us. We relax, the viruses win and hurt the ones that are most vulnerable—the very young, the very old, and the ones with a compromised immune system will suffer the most. Let’s show that we care and together we can keep the lid on (hopefully).

So remember:

  • Wash your hands.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces, especially frequently touched surfaces. Remember to read the label!
  • Practice social distancing—during outbreaks, flu season, RSV season, and pandemics, it’s essential to practice social distancing, especially if you don’t have a mask on! How many of you have chosen to wait for an elevator because several people were already on it?
  • Stay home if you are not feeling well.
  • Wear a mask if you are not feeling well and must go out in public, if you are in the vulnerable population, or have family members who are in the vulnerable population. Protect and don’t spread!
  • GET Educated – take the GBAC Infectious Disease Awareness Training – It’s for everyone and tackles everything from RSV to COVID-19 to other viruses. 
  • If you have questions about your health talk to your doctor!

Additional resources:

 

About the Author.

Stefan Wagener is a member of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council®, a division of ISSA. For more free tips sheets and in-depth, on-demand training for coronavirus-specific cleaning and disinfecting visit  issa.com/coronavirus.

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