19 August 2022

The polio virus was eradicated in 2003, however, recently, it has been found in raw sewage in the London area. The chances of contracting polio in the UK are extremely low as most people are fully vaccinated.

How is polio spread?

Poliomyelitis is an acute illness which is caused by the poliovirus and spreads easily from person to person. It usually spreads through contact with the faeces or pharyngeal secretions (saliva) of an infected person. Poor hand washing, hand to mouth contact and contaminated food and water all contribute to the spread of the virus. It can also be transmitted through coughs and sneezes, but this is less common.


Disinfection procedures

Spread of the virus can be contained with good hand hygiene, washing of unpackaged food, and disinfecting of hard surfaces.

Good hand hygiene is essential and can be achieved with the use of our Evans Trigon® Plus. This unperfumed, bactericidal hand soap is suitable for use in food premises and helps reduce the risk of cross contamination. Hands should be wetted under running water and enough soap applied to cover all surfaces. Hands should then be rubbed together, as per guidance on our Wash Your Hands wallchart, for at least 20 seconds to produce a good foam. Hands should then be rinsed and dried thoroughly. 

Unpackaged food can be washed in Evans Veggisan, effervescent chlorine tablets. One tablet dissolved in 10 litres of water produces 100 ppm of available chlorine, the level needed to kill the virus.

For hard surfaces Evans Chlor Tabs have been independently tested and pass EN 14476 against polio virus, under low soiling conditions, again at a dilution of one tablet in 10 litres of water, to achieve 100ppm available chlorine. Prior to disinfection, safely remove any debris and, to avoid contamination of the air, cover the infected surface with paper towels and spray solution over the top. Leave for 15 minutes ensuring the wet towels are in contact with the contaminated surfaces. For more detailed instructions, please refer to our Infection Control Guide sheet.

Evans Vanodine Technical Team
August 2022

To download a copy of this statement, click HERE

Useful links:

www.evansvanodine.co.uk/assets/wash_your_hands.pdf

www.evansvanodine.co.uk/assets/infection_control_guide_evans.pdf