The Truth about Superbugs and UV Light
The latest talk in the medical community has been a lot about the appearance of bacterial “superbugs.” Superbugs are strains of certain bacteria that are resistant to various antibiotics, making them extraordinarily dangerous and difficult to eradicate. The creation of bacterial superbugs is brought about by the over prescription and misuse of antibiotics. When antibiotics are needlessly prescribed or taken to excess it can eliminate both good and bad bacteria, leaving the strong drug-resistant bacteria free to multiply at will.
Once the superbug bacterium multiplies within your body, it is most commonly spread through direct contact and poorly cleaned surfaces. Another problem that has risen is the overuse of antibacterial products, such as antibacterial soaps, in healthcare facilities. Excessive use of these antibacterial soaps has also been contributed to antibiotic resistance. As a result, many health facilities have been looking for new ways to combat and eliminate these dangerous bacteria.
A surprising solution for two major health facilities was the use of sanitizing robots that would enter into unoccupied rooms and emit germicidal ultraviolet rays for 15 minutes in order to kill any germs. Why? UV light has been proven to be effective in eradicating viruses, bacteria, and spores without human contact. In fact, it’s been incredibly effective in eliminating two particularly virulent diseases Clostridium difficile (C. diff) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in less than five minutes.
With the success that UV light has had in eliminating diseases, it’s only a matter of time before its utilization becomes a new standard in hospital and health care sanitation. Even so, it’s still important to understand that the abuse of antibiotics and the overuse of antibacterial products may be doing more harm than good.
Konica Minolta recommends Instrument Systems Spectrophotometers, CAS 140CT and CAS 120, capable of highly accurate measurements in the UV spectral region.
