A new virus is now widespread in the U.S. – Enterovirus D68 (EV D68). This respiratory illness is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes and touches a surface contacted by others. Already this year the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports:
“From mid-August to October 9, 2014, a total of 678 people in 46 states and the District of Columbia have been confirmed to have respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.”

According to reports from Legend Brands, a number of these patients required hospitalization due to respiratory distress. EV D68 tends to cause illness among younger people and can be quite serious for children with allergies. Adults can contract the disease but usually have milder symptoms.

A great deal of useful information is found at the CDC website. You can search for local statistics by typing “Entovirus D68” and your state into a search engine.

The primary means of preventing transmission is to practice thorough and frequent hand washing. While the cleaning industry can do little to impact the public’s diligence to cover coughs and sneezes or to enforce hand washing practices, the industry can support healthier indoor environments by using suitable products to treat high-contact surfaces and those potentially contaminated.

Here is guidance from the CDC regarding EV D68 treatment: As EV-D68 is a non-enveloped virus, environmental disinfection of surfaces in healthcare settings should be performed using a hospital-grade disinfectant with an EPA label claim for any of several non-enveloped viruses (e.g. Norovirus, poliovirus, rhinovirus).

While the CDC addresses healthcare settings specifically, buildings in other environments will also benefit from surface disinfection.