Nolla-based hand and surface sanitizers are found to eliminate Norovirus effectively while being skin-friendly and providing long-term protection against further contaminations.
Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, breaks out during wintertime. Currently, the norovirus is infecting people across the northern hemisphere. Norovirus is very resilient, being able to withstand heating, freezing and low pH. Due to the resilient nature, the virus spreads easily via person-to-person contact and through contaminated food and water.
The virus can survive for several weeks in cold water and is spread through people even after they are symptom-free. Multiple different types of norovirus exist and a long-term immunity is not gained after infection, making it possible for a person to have frequent infections of norovirus. Furthermore, bacterial biofilms are considered as a significant problem, because they can entrap and harbor the virus, allowing continuous spreading of the virus from the biofilm.
Prevention of the spreading of the virus through proper hygiene is the most important part when fighting against norovirus. Importantly, hand and surface hygiene is considered critical in the vicinity of an infected person. Wherein, washing and drying of hands is an important part of daily hand hygiene and should not be ignored regardless of the utilization of hand sanitizer.
The alcohol-free hand sanitizer based on Nolla technology has been screened against norovirus according to the industry standard EN 14476. Nolla hand sanitizer scored excellent results by eliminating >99.95% of norovirus within 60 seconds of exposure, and >99.99% within 2 minutes. These results were achieved with a silver ion concentration of 0.009%.
The Nolla hand sanitizer contains only about 0.009–0.02% of ionic silver, which is an extremely low amount of active substance compared to competing technologies. Alcohols, common disinfectant chemicals (such as quaternary ammonium compounds, QACs) and detergents are not effective against the non-enveloped norovirus.
Furthermore, Nolla technology inhibits cross-contamination by forming a thin and invisible antimicrobial layer of active substance on surfaces and skin, which allows long-term protection against norovirus and other pathogens. This layer can be easily washed away with water. The extremely effective Nolla hand sanitizer has also been proven to be hypoallergenic, providing comfort and safety when protecting against the norovirus.