Hospital infection control: Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation's role in the war against infectious diseases

Abstract

Healthcare leaders are necessarily uniting in this war against infectious diseases. The toll in human lives, lost productivity, healthcare costs and diversion of healthcare resources is huge. Although focused efforts are underway to address new medicines, surveillance systems and diagnostic procedures, the outcome of these efforts is unknown, and, there will always be the need to underwrite any new measure to compensate for error, negligence and the unceasing genetic mutations and evolutions that bacteria, viruses and fungi can undergo. UV-C systems are a cost-effective, proven and a readily available means to address all three fronts of the war on infectious diseases. The variety of ways that UV-C can be applied enables engineers and operators to tailor UV-C technologies to meet desired outcomes, and to do so within real-world budgets. As examples, upper-room UV units cost as little as $2.50-$3.10 per square foot of treated space. The cost of airstream disinfection systems ranges from $0.60-$0.80 per cfm (cubic feet per minute) and HVAC surface disinfection systems cost approximately $0.10-$0.15 per cfm, literally bargains when compared to human lives, lost productivity, healthcare costs and otherwise wasted healthcare resources.