In cases of emerging viral pathogens such as Monkeypox Virus, when there is no test that can be conducted to validate the efficacy of a disinfectant, the US Environmental Protection Agency utilizes their Emerging Viral Pathogens Policy to determine the expected efficacy of a disinfectant against an emerging virus. In the case of an enveloped virus such as Monkeypox Virus, the following criteria are used to determine efficacy of a disinfectant upon enactment of the Emerging Viral Pathogens Policy:
- The product must be a hospital or broad-spectrum disinfectant product registered with the EPA.
- The product must have acceptable efficacy data previously submitted to and reviewed by the Agency against at least one non-enveloped virus, which is considered to be more resistant to disinfectants compared to enveloped viruses such as Monkeypox Virus.
The Prevention line of disinfectants (including Prevention Ready-to-Use liquid and Wipes) fulfill these criteria and therefore can be used against Monkeypox Virus on hard, non-porous surfaces as part of a facility’s infection prevention and control protocols. Prevention Ready-to-Use liquid (EPA Reg. No. 74559-9) and Wipes (EPA Reg. No.74559-10) should be applied with a 1 minute contact time. To learn more about this ongoing situation as it unfolds, please refer to the CDC’s information page at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/outbreak/current.html
