As serious concerns about the superbug Candida auris (C. auris) continue to grow and national media turns its focus towards the deadly impact, a study from the University of Chicago Medicine found that the use of the Surfacide Helios® UV-C Disinfection System, along with standard terminal cleaning, was an effective and reliable strategy to address this potentially deadly fungal disease from the environment[1].
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 617 people across the U.S. have already been infected by the fungus. The CDC warns that the spread of this drug-resistant fungus poses a serious global health threat – especially for older and immune-compromised patients.
“Hospitals across the U.S. are coming to terms with the severity of Candida auris and are looking for the best possible way to prevent transmission,” said Adam Buchaklian, PhD. and director of clinical research for Surfacide. “The Surfacide Helios® UV-C Disinfection System is effective against the fungus and we are working with hospitals systems around the country to educate and help prevent it from spreading.”
Surfacide’s Helios system incorporates three UV-C energy emitting towers in the patient environment to address the presence of organisms including: C. auris, C. Diff, MRSA, VRE, CRE and Acinetobacter. The system has been shown in studies to significantly reduce the risk of HAIs while lowering hospital infection rates.
“The emergence of C. auris highlights the vigilance that healthcare leaders must focus upon daily in their effort to stay ahead of MDROs like C. auris. As a result, many healthcare leaders are proactively looking for solutions in anticipation that this C. auris will emerge in other regions of the country,” said Gunner Lyslo, Surfacide, Founder & Chief Executive Officer. “Given our experience in addressing C. auris within the University of Chicago Medical Center and Mount Sinai Brooklyn, we are in a unique position to assist other healthcare facilities.”
Surfacide is the only system that addresses the impact of shadows and distance. It is typically able to deliver an effective dose of energy in approximately 10 to 20-minutes in an unoccupied room, after an environmental services cleaning professional has manually cleaned the area. Treating the room with UV-C energy is an evidence-based disinfection modality, disinfecting areas that were not completely cleaned manually.
The Surfacide Helios system is available in the U.S. and internationally. For more information as well as efficacy studies, visit uvx3.com or call 844-390-3538.
1. Rachel Marrs, MSN, RN, CIC1, Daniela Pellegrini, MD2, Aurea Enriquez, M(ASCP), CIC1, Jessica P. Ridgway, MD, MS3 and Emily Landon M. Successful Environmental Disinfection to Prevention Transmission of Candida Auris. IDweek 2017. San Diego: IDweek 2017; 2017. p. 495.
