Ansell Healthcare Europe - Influenza A(H1N1) – Pandemic Preparedness statement
On Wednesday April 29th, the World Health Organization announced it has decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. The announcement followed the sustained human to human transmission of the virus in Mexico and the US.
The declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.
Meanwhile, the raise in alert has been underwritten by both the CDC in the US and the ECDC (European Center for Diseases Control).
CDC, ECDC & WHO websites will be updated regularly as information becomes available. .
What is Influenza A(H1N1)?
Influenza A(H1N1) (swine influenza ) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that cause regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get Influenza A(H1N1), but human infections can and do happen. Influenza A(H1N1) viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.
Symptoms of Influenza A(H1N1) in humans are usually similar to regular human seasonal influenza symptoms, involving fever of sudden onset and respiratory symptoms; diarrhoea might also occur. However, severe complications could occur even in normally healthy persons who become infected with the virus.
Infection Prevention recommendation?
General prevention recommendation :(taken from CDC, WHO, ECDC)
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
>Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Hand hygiene / protection
>Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
>Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective to reduce the amount of influenza virus on contaminated hands.
>Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Develop a family emergency plan as a precaution. This should include storing a supply of food, medicines, facemasks, alcohol-based hand rubs and other essential supplies.
WHO Checklist for treating patients
Gloving is recommended by the World Health Organization as a precaution for staff providing care to patients with suspected or confirmed swine influenza infection. Standard and droplet precautions should be strengthened.
In response to the pandemic treat, on July 7, the WHO published a Patient Care Checklist .
(Source: WHO Infection prevention and control in health care in providing care for confirmed or suspected A(H1N1) swine influenza patients; Interim guidance, April 29th 2009)
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Ansell Healthcare hand protection solutions
Ansell Limited is a global leader in barrier protective solutions, with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Ansell designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of surgical, examination, industrial and household gloves, protective clothing and condoms. People in over 100 countries around the world put their trust in Ansell’s innovative, high-quality solutions to offer superior protection, combined with high levels of comfort and performance.
Ansell recommends the following products * offering appropriate protection against immediate hand-borne infection:
For health care workers providing care to Influenza A(H1N1) infected patients, appropriate barrier protection, including gloves, are mandatory. As a leading provider of barrier protection to healthcare professionals, Ansell is committed to a policy of prevention and has therefore provided guidelines to healthcare organizations who wish to review their risks of exposing healthcare personnel and patients to the A(H1N1) virus.
Ansell’s precautionary recommendations for protecting against Influenza A(H1N1) are straightforward: PVC or vinyl gloves are not recommended because of the potentially lower barrier protection they offer. Powdered gloves should be avoided, due to the increased risk of airborne propagation of the virus. Double-gloving can be considered in order to achieve enhanced protection. And finally, procedures surrounding hand hygiene as well as donning and removal should be strictly adhered to in order to ensure maximum security for each operation or patient contact.
Ansell recommends the following gloves to help protect against viruses, including the A(H1N1) virus. All these gloves have been tested and passed the viral penetration test according to ASTM F1671 or ISO16604(resistance of materials used in protective clothing to penetration of blood-borne pathogens using Phi-X174 Bacteriophage Penetration as a test system).
However this testing methodology has its own limitations, as the standard itself describes: “…this test method does not simulate all the physical stress and pressures that might be exerted on protective clothing materials during use” and “The integrity of the protective barrier may also be compromised during use by such effects as flexing and abrasion.” Because of their commitment to improving safety for the healthcare practitioners, Ansell has decided to develop the AVPP programme.
(* test results Ansell Viral Permeation Program – reference)
The following list contains the most widespread gloves in use on the European market, and is not exhaustive.
MEDICAL DEVICES(for contact with human beings)
Powderfree Latex Medical examination gloves
DermaClean™
Micro-Touch® HydraCare® (with moisterizer)
SensiClean™
Powderfree Synthetic Medical examination gloves
Micro-Touch® Nitrile (nitrile)
NitraTex® (nitrile)
NitraTex® EP (nitrile, longer cuff for additional protection of the forearm)
Micro-Touch® DermaPrene® (polychloroprene)
PPE (for non-human contacts) :
Lab applications + preventive animal vaccination :
Powderfree Latex disposable gloves :
Conform® + 69-150
AccuTech® Ambi Ultragrip 91-104 (with longer glove cuff for additional protection of the forearm )
Gammex® PF XP (sterile and extra protection)
Powderfree Synthetic disposable gloves :
DermaShield® 73-721 (neoprene)
NeoTouch® 25-101 (neoprene )
NeoTouch® 25-202 (neoprene with longer glove cuff for additional protection of the forearm)
Touch N Tuff® 92-600 (nitrile )
Touch N Tuff® 92-605 (nitrile , with longer glove cuff for additional protection of the forearm)
TNT® Blue 92-670 (nitrile)
TNT® Blue 92-665 (nitrile with longer glove cuff for additional protection of the forearm)
Extra Security (Disinfection) :
Sol-Vex® Premium 37-900
Alphatec™ 58-530.535
Sol-Vex ® 37-675, 37-500, 37-185
Extra™ 87-950, 87-955
Bi-Colour™ 87-900
Profil Plus™ 87-850
Universal™ Plus 87-650, 87-660, 87-665
For more information about any of the listed products, please call +32 2 5287400 and ask for the Ansell Customer Service.
Ansell is offering the assistance of its Technical Department through an email help desk ready to answer any questions about the suitability or the performance of the different gloves. Medical professionals are invited to submit their questions in case a doubt persists regarding the optimal level of protection offered by the glove of their choice.
Ansell Healthcare product supply
Ansell is actively monitoring the overall situation. A global leader in hand protection solutions, Ansell recognizes its important role as a supplier of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices (hand protection solutions). The company is confirming its commitment to support the market needs in a timely and efficient manner.
In the case of a pandemic event such as the Influenza A(H1N1), there is likely to be a significant increase in demand for certain types of barrier protection, with demand potentially outstripping supply where appropriate product stocks have not been established.
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