We serve as a trusted resource for the latest news and helpful information related to skin health and surface hygiene advancements. GOJO microbiologists, scientists,
nurses and other professionals post regularly
and we also get the views of outside experts and
thought leaders in the field. It’s all part of the
GOJO Purpose, Saving Lives and Making Lives Better Through Well-Being Solutions.
Top Tips to Fend Off Flu, RSV, and Colds in Your Home This Winter
11/4/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
The days are getting darker and cooler, the leaves have fallen, and with the holidays approaching, we are all looking forward to welcoming guests into our homes to celebrate. One thing we don’t want to welcome into our homes this time of year is the flu and other winter respiratory viruses, like the common cold and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which is currently surging in U.S. children.
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Slowing the Spread of Norovirus – Lessons Learned from a Global Pandemic
10/24/2022
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
Also By Hal King, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Active Food Safety and Founder/CEO of Public Health Innovations
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on global public health as well as the food industry. In the U.S., restaurant and foodservice loss of sales surpassed $185 billion between March and August 2020. During the pandemic, the adoption of enhanced sanitation protocols, such as increased frequency for high-touch surface disinfection, thought at the time to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was widespread. This helped reduce outbreaks of norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., by over 80%.
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5 Steps for Schools to Prepare for Cold, Flu, and RSV Season
10/20/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
With the fall semester in high gear and Thanksgiving and winter breaks quickly approaching, many schools are on the lookout for another seasonal element that has the potential to disrupt their operations – the arrival of cold and flu season. Unlike other illnesses that are difficult to predict, each year, like clockwork, an army of respiratory viruses that cause cold and flu-like symptoms invades our schools, typically starting in the early fall and peaking between the months of December and February – though they appear to be starting early this year.
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New Research Highlights the Importance of Surface Sanitizer Formulation for Norovirus Control
10/10/2022
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
It’s official: norovirus is back. Despite norovirus outbreaks being at historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus, which is the #1 cause of foodborne illness in the United States, came surging back in the first quarter of 2022 with outbreaks peaking at nearly 80 per week in March. Norovirus is a particularly pesky virus for a variety of reasons.
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Tips to Prepare Your Business for Flu, Colds, and RSV Season
9/28/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
With the potential of an early start to this year’s flu season, and respiratory virus cases filling up U.S. pediatric hospitals, it’s time to act now to keep your businesses and workplaces healthy this flu and winter respiratory virus season. Places like retail shops, office and medical buildings, school campuses, restaurants, grocery stores, and leisure facilities, with their shared spaces and many people coming and going throughout the day, are prime incubators for respiratory viruses like the flu, RSV, and viruses that cause the common cold.
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Back to the Basics for National Food Safety Education Month
9/21/2022
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
Did you know that an estimated 48 million people in the U.S. get sick each year with a foodborne illness? That’s 1 in every 6 people! To increase food safety awareness and spread the word on safe food handling practices, federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have deemed September National Food Safety Education Month. In this blog, we go “back to the basics” and revisit some easy food safety principles that we all can practice more frequently, which can help reduce our chances of getting sick from food.
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5 Tips to Avoid Back-to-School Illness Outbreaks This Fall
8/22/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Over the past few weeks, U.S. K-12 schools, colleges, and universities have been navigating the waves of students returning to their buildings and campuses for the 2022-2023 academic year. Unfortunately, the students are not coming alone – they are likely bringing their personal germs with them.
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What Is Monkeypox? And Should I Be Concerned?
7/25/2022
By James Bingham, MS
Senior Research Microbiologist, GOJO
Also By Megan J. DiGiorgio, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Senior Clinical Manager, GOJO Industries
News coverage of the ongoing global monkeypox outbreak has been intense. With news that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), many may be recalling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the WHO declared it a PHEIC (on Jan. 30, 2020).
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Hidden Germs in Collegiate Dining Facilities
7/18/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Germs are everywhere. Did you know, on average, adults can touch as many as 30 objects in a single minute, including germ-harboring, high-touch surfaces? In fact, germs that can make your students and staff sick can survive pretty much anywhere and live from hours to even months depending on the germ and where it’s residing! This is partly why outbreaks – like COVID-19, cold, flu, and gastrointestinal illness – are common on college and university campuses. The residential style of shared dining facilities and high student-to-student contact make campuses breeding grounds for infectious outbreaks.
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Make Routine Sanitizing and Disinfecting More Efficient with Surface Wipes
6/27/2022
By Matt Witten
Senior Total Solutions Director, GOJO Industries
In many business settings, ready-to-use surface wipes are often chosen specifically because they help make sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces and devices easier and more efficient. With widespread labor shortages, ready-to-use wipes are an essential tool as they have some great advantages.
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