The Ebola virus is once again a crucial global health concern. A rapidly evolving outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has led to hundreds of confirmed cases, cross‑border spread, and a World Health Organization declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. With no widely available treatments or vaccines for some strains, public health systems are relying on proven containment strategies to help stop the spread of this highly infectious disease. That includes the use of antimicrobial disinfectants and sanitizers to kill and help control the spread of the virus on surfaces, helping to prevent new infections.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and contaminated surfaces, making infection prevention and control (IPC) measures essential in both healthcare and community settings. Disinfectants play a central role because they can help inactivate the virus outside the body, helping to prevent indirect transmission through surfaces, medical equipment, and protective gear.
Global health authorities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), evaluate the safety and efficacy of all antimicrobial disinfectants before they are sold. The EPA also maintains List L, a registry of antimicrobial products proven to kill the Ebola virus, and has activated its Emerging Viral Pathogen policy amid this latest outbreak to identify additional disinfectants and sanitizers that can kill similar viruses on its List Q: Disinfectants for Emerging Viral Pathogens.
EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Policy (EVP) allows the Agency to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify new viruses, such as the Hantavirus, that could spread or create a public health threat in the United States and identify disinfectants that have already been reviewed and registered for sale that kill similar viruses. This provides public health officials, medical professionals, and others who need to purchase products that control emerging viruses in public places with a list of products that can help reduce transmission of viruses on surfaces.
ACC’s Center for Biocide Chemistries (CBC) has taken a leading role in helping EPA update and improve its EVP policy, prepare for future pandemics, and recommend new policies to tackle other types of emerging diseases, including those caused by bacteria and fungi. Through CBC’s role in co-chairing the EPA Pesticide Product Dialogue Committee’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Workgroup and Emerging Pathogen Implementation Committees, CBC seeks to identify and urge EPA to adopt policies to make it easier for users to identify products that kill emerging pathogens and for EPA and product manufacturers to identify and register products that are likely effective against new pathogens that could impact Americans’ health or food supply.
CBC and its members continue to work closely with EPA and other stakeholders to prepare for future pandemics and disease threats through the use of effective antimicrobial disinfectants.
To learn more about how antimicrobial products help in other ways, including other public places where disinfectants are used, visit GoodChemistryLivesHere.com.
