Monkeypox and Other Viruses: What the Cleaning Industry Can Do

July 25, 2022 Leave a Comment

The COVID-19 pandemic showed that we could never be too careful when preventing an outbreak. We can't predict how many new viruses and bacteria will appear in the near future; all we can do is be ready to meet a potential public health risk with the best safety measures.


Monkeypox is the latest disease to make headlines after spreading from West Africa to other continents across the globe. We can already see official authorities and healthcare facilities using updated resources to get ahead of the situation.

Among all these developments, the cleaning industry plays a crucial role, taking the lead in teaching appropriate disinfecting habits and promoting effective solutions to kill viruses and bacteria without risking people's health in the process.

What We Know About Monkeypox So Far

The monkeypox virus seems to have originated in West Africa, with a less-spread variant coming from Central Africa. The virus can be transmitted from animals to humans and from direct human contact.

Those are the leading causes of infection, but people can also catch the monkeypox virus after touching contaminated surfaces like beddings, cutlery, and high-touch areas like handles, countertops, and doorknobs.

The number of cases changes daily but, as of now, the spread rate of monkeypox isn't as high as that of other airborne diseases. Symptoms also appear to be less lethal, ranging from fever and headaches to skin rashes, exhaustion, and muscular pains. With that said, the World Health Organization (WHO) still warns about potential long-term complications among people with immune deficiencies.


Before expanding on the general information presented above, we must stress that monkeypox is an emerging virus. Epidemiologists worldwide are still conducting investigations to understand its effects while considering different theories.

One of these theories indicates that the virus may be a mutation that resulted from contact with COVID-19 and other pathogens, but there are still no scientific findings to support it. This is only one of several options that epidemiologists are looking into at a stage in which much remains unknown.

Now, let's touch on what we know:

• Monkeypox can be transmitted in many ways through person-to-person contact. It can be passed through the exchange of personal items and bodily fluids, broken skin, sexual intercourse, close verbal exchanges, etc.


• In most cases, symptoms usually last between two to four weeks and go away on their own without specialized treatment.


• The incubation period can last up to three weeks, increasing the risk of infection among those who don't know that they're carrying the disease.


• Symptoms are more severe among immunocompromised individuals, children ages eight or less, pregnant people, and people with ongoing skin conditions like dermatitis or eczema.


• Healthcare workers, custodial staff, and retail workers have the highest risk of infection.


• To prevent infections, specialists recommend reducing human contact outside the house to the bare minimum. Close contact with pets and other animals should also be limited. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a comprehensive list of guidelines to prevent the spread of monkeypox.


• Those who are infected must isolate themselves. Those who need to interact with an infected person should wear a face mask and avoid close physical contact.

While there's still much more to learn, everything indicates that the monkeypox virus won't cause the same global upheaval that came with COVID-19. That's because it's been proven that the monkeypox virus is susceptible to disinfectants and can be killed.

Many experts agree that there's a high chance that the monkeypox virus will continue to mutate, as is the risk with all other viruses. Businesses and private organizations must know how to face the outcome, and the cleaning industry plays a huge role in ensuring the best strategies to do so.

Fighting the Risk of Contagious Diseases

Many things have changed since 2020. Businesses and homeowners alike have now applied many of the hard-earned lessons left by the COVID-19 pandemic, which in itself remains a risk that communities must watch out for.

Likewise, medical facilities are better prepared to prevent/face a potential outbreak, and this is extra important when we consider that these places can host any number of viruses and bacteria at any given time.

However, there's still a lot to be done, specifically when implementing safer disinfecting strategies in high-touch areas where the risk of contamination is present at all hours of the day.


Thousands of people leave behind germs, viruses, and bacteria when visiting public places like malls and grocery stores. In the same vein, offices and other working areas see a lot of traffic during the most hectic hours of the day, so custodians must clean the same surface multiple times.

Along with private health organizations, the cleaning industry takes the lead when it comes to instilling safer disinfecting strategies.

Despite all the lessons learned from the 2020 pandemic, the availability and advantages of sustainable cleaning practices are still a novelty to many people. Some of them know about sustainable cleaning in general terms but don't know what it means in practice.

It's also common for businesses to continue using traditional cleaners and disinfectants without knowing how to implement a more effective alternative.

This often means making hand sanitizer available for visitors and staff while relying on off-the-counter products for surface disinfection. This leads other community members (workers, patrons, etc.) to assume that there's not much difference between one product and the next when it comes to their disinfecting power.

So, let's go over what can be done to maintain better defenses against viruses and bacteria:

• Evaluate different modes of transmission and tailor safety methods accordingly, taking environmental factors into account (number of people and high-touch areas, ventilation systems, etc.)


• A proper air and surface disinfection system is an effective way to mitigate the spread of viruses while also giving people peace of mind as they go about their day.


• The cleaning industry can help distribute resources that have been scientifically tested and deemed effective against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, including air purifiers and sustainable disinfectants.


• It can also instill the importance of following the safety instructions displayed on each product's label, as many people follow the same steps with different products indiscriminately.



• Making recyclable cleaning tools available to all industries encourages a healthier environment and minimizes practices that are counterproductive to the goal of preserving the staff's wellbeing.

Infectious diseases can spread in many ways, and sometimes the available resources can't cover all the bases. This doesn't change the fact that having a reliable disinfecting system protecting indoor spaces is the best way to prevent an outbreak somewhere down the line.

By having the best surface and air disinfecting system in place, people can focus their efforts more effectively on reducing the chances of infection through human contact.

The Best Way To Disinfect the Air and Surfaces

As viruses and bacteria continue to evolve, the cleaning industry needs to enhance its methods of protecting people's living/working spaces through it all.

Electrolyzed water represents the ideal solution, providing enhanced disinfecting power while remaining accessible for all markets. And GenEon Technologies harnesses this power to guarantee all the advantages of sustainable cleaning and disinfecting.

Capable of killing 99.999% of harmful pathogens in less than a minute, our products and solutions are the best way to ensure people's safety even in the most hectic public environments. GenEon's cleaning system produces the best cleaners and degreasers and disinfects surfaces to kill pathogens like the human coronavirus, Salmonella, Listeria, E. Coli, HIV, norovirus, polio, hepatitis A, B & C, herpes type 1 & 2, and parvovirus, among others.


Our systems are portable and cost-effective to increase workability and reduce the costs associated with shipping and storage. Moreover, business owners can improve the hygienic conditions of their establishments in more than one way: through enhanced disinfecting power and by eliminating the risks caused by chemical cleaners after their fumes are released into the air.

There's a lot the cleaning industry can do to promote safer living/working spaces. It plays a huge part in informing people about the advantages of sustainable cleaning alternatives while making these solutions more available across the country. With the support of our partners and distributors, GenEon aims to make electrolyzed water commonplace for businesses and institutions of all sizes.

As many specialists have said about monkeypox, potential new mutations are no cause of alarm as long as people stay informed about how to prevent it. Knowing about effective disinfecting strategies is the best defense, and the cleaning industry has the power to optimize safety measures on a large scale by harnessing the best sustainable system.

If you want the most effective solutions to help protect your community against infectious diseases, GenEon has the answer. Learn how you can help make sustainable cleaning the norm by filling out our website's contact form, and our specialists will be happy to answer all your questions.

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