GBAC Offers Advice on Cleaning and Disinfecting for Monkeypox
ROSEMONT, Ill.—August 10, 2022—The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, today published an informational video that shares important information about the virus and response tactics with the cleaning industry to help eradicate this disease. The cleaning industry will need to respond as the United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency and several states have gone a step further and declared a state of emergency. This will free up additional funding and resources to fight the disease.
The first monkeypox case was reported in the U.S. in May and in less than 100 days it has spread rapidly and currently, there are over 9,500 cases confirmed. Sexual transmission is contributing to this outbreak but not exclusively, as some people have caught the virus through face-to-face interactions with someone, or by touching a contaminated surface.
There are some reasonable precautions that people should take to avoid catching monkeypox. Cleaning professionals should be conducting risk assessments. The U.S. CDC has stated “clean and disinfect the areas where people with monkeypox spent time.” The U.S. EPA has published a list of disinfectants for monkeypox called List Q Emerging Viral Pathogens. The U.S. Department of Labor has stated that employers must comply with OSHA’s standards on Bloodborne Pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (29 CFR 1910.132), Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134), and other requirements.
“Cleaning for health is extremely important with monkeypox as it is a completely different virus than COVID-19 and is spread by bodily fluids,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Transfer can happen from direct contact with an infected person and from any item the infected person has touched or used. Knowing this, a scalable response must be put into place, with more training, education, and understanding of the risks involved.”
GBAC environmental health and safety experts are continuously monitoring the monkeypox virus situation and will report on any changes or new information.
For more information about how the cleaning industry can help to eradicate monkeypox, watch the following video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDl8iHkDaIc.
About GBAC, a Division of ISSA
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility and service accreditation programs, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.
About ISSA
With more than 10,500 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.
For more information, contact ISSA Director of Communications Jill Nuppenau at [email protected]; phone, 847-982-0800 Ext. 1367.
