Everyday should be don't bring your virus to work day. According to a new study presented at the 54th Interscience Conference of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, researchers found that a virus can spread in an office setting in two to four hours, infecting both employees and commonly touched surfaces.
Led by germ scientist Charles Gerba, Ph.D at the University of Arizona, researchers planted "tracer viruses" inside offices to measure how far and fast they spread. Employees were given "weapons in germ warfare" that included alcohol gel sanitizers and disinfectant wipes.
Researchers used the virus known as MS-2 that infects bacteria, but is not harmful for human health. MS-2 is similar to common human illnesses like the norovirus, in terms of resistance and other factors.
The study found that the virus spread to 40 to 60 percent of people in the work environment. The viruses also infected 40 to 60 percent of commonly touched objects like doorknobs, elevator buttons and printers.
In one experiment, researchers found that the virus contaminated the hands of over half the workers in an office of 80 people in just three hours. One room in particular became a "hotspot" for MS-2 and most of the office surfaces were contaminated as well.
"What we learned was, the first area to be contaminated was the coffee break room," said Gerba. "That actually turned out to be a hotspot, because a lot of people go in there— more of a hotspot than the restroom."
Gerba led phase two of the experiment by setting up alcohol gel sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to prevent the spread of germs. The workers were instructed to clean their desk once a day with the disinfectant wipes and were encouraged to use the hand sanitizer that was installed in the break room.
Only half of the workers consistently used the products. However, researchers found that using the disinfectants reduced traces of viruses on objects by 80 percent. Researchers found that contaminating the office after it was sanitized reduced the concentration of the virus by more than 99 percent.
"Things that we recommend, like hand sanitizers, hand washing, disinfectant wipes and disinfectants do their job," Gerba said. "By doing these kinds of virus release studies, and looking at where viruses accrue, we can get a more precise idea of the benefits of these types of weapons of germ warfare."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viruses like the norovirus cause 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year. Touching infected surfaces before touching your mouth is the fastest way to get sick.
To prevent spreading germs, keep your anti-sanitizer products on hand.
