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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
A randomized, double-blind comparison of the effectiveness of environmental cleaning between infection control
1Department of Disinfection Surveillance and Vector Control, Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
Abstract:
The hospital environment is a reservoir for pathogens, and environmental service workers (ESWs) play an important role in infection prevention. A randomized, double-blind comparison was carried out in a 23-bed intensive care unit of a traditional Chinese medical-Western medical hospital. Aerobic colony counts (ACC) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were used to compare the effectiveness of environmental cleaning between infection control professionals and ESWs. The results suggest that high-touch surfaces around MRSA patients are often not sufficiently cleaned and are even cross-contaminated by ESWs after cleaning. Further educational intervention is needed for improvement of environmental cleaning.
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