Zika can survive for hours on hard, non-porous surfaces
Research findings also divulge best means to disinfect the life-threatening virus
The Zika virus is able to infect people even after sitting out on a counter for several hours, according to new research.
But the good news is that in that state, it is also easy to kill with common household chemicals.
The study, published Tuesday, found that the Zika virus — which can produce severe brain defects in foetuses and young children and has been linked to other harmful conditions — can be highly contagious even after hours of living outside a host.
The research was conducted by scientists from RMC Pharmaceutical Solutions, a consultancy for drug developers, and Microbac Laboratories, a provider of laboratory analytics. The team presented its findings at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Denver, Colorado.
The study also looked at how effective some common laboratory cleaning chemicals were at killing the virus, including isopropyl alcohol, diluted bleach, quaternary ammonium/alcohol, peracetic acid and pH 4 or pH 10 solutions.
The most effective solutions in killing the virus on surfaces were isopropyl alcohol and quaternary ammonium/alcohol. The pH 4 or pH 10 solutions were the least effective, while diluted bleach and peracetic acid were found to be effective virus killers, except when the Zika sample was suspended in blood.
