There has been an increase in the number of reported infected cases of Strep A also known as Group
A Streptococcus (GAS), a highly contagious bacteria which is typically transmitted through respiratory
droplets from coughing or sneezing or the sharing of food or drinks through contact with an infected
person.
Strep A is responsible for a number of common infections, including strep throat, which is characterised by a sore throat, fever and swollen lymph nodes. In rare cases, Strep A can also cause more serious infections such as scarlet fever, pneumonia and in certain circumstances can
also be considered life threatening In some cases antibiotics may be prescribed to treat an infection with Strep A To prevent the spread of Strep A, it is important to practice good hygiene, this includes washing your hands frequently using a soap that meets antibacterial efficacy EN 1499 and applying an alcohol or alternatively a non-alcohol hand rub that meets EN 1500, an accredited test criteria for
bactericidal efficacy.
For customers concerned with surface and key touch point disinfection against Strep A, Diversey's approach is to recommend products that meet the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) a defined series of EN standards tests to validate the microbial efficacy of different disinfectant
products.
Examples of a typical biocidal efficacy test available for a Diversey cleaner disinfectant is the EN 1276 quantitative suspension test and EN 13697 quantitative non-porous surface test without mechanical action.
In order to pass these tests, a disinfectant product must be able to demonstrate and achieve a minimum log 5 reduction in bacterial counts (this equates to a 99.999% reduction in bacterial load) for EN 1276 and a minimum log 4 reduction in bacterial counts (this equates to a 99.99% reduction) for EN 13697 against a selection of highly resistant bacteria strains as standard (including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus hirae). These tests can be carried out under clean or dirty conditions to represent actual in-use practice and
under various contact times (5 minutes as default).
Therefore the EN 1276 and EN 13697 tests validates the broad bactericidal effectiveness of a disinfectant product and its effective concentration against bacteria in general (including for example Strep A (Group A Streptococcus), Listeria, Salmonella, MRSA, E.coli etc.
By using Diversey products and services, individuals and organisations can help protect themselves and others from potentially serious consequences of a Strep A infection and help to create a safer and healthier environment.
Gary Bradburne
Infection Prevention Technical Expert