RECENTLY, in effort to eliminate Ebola at the
source, through use of innovative disinfection
technology, two “germ-killing robots” were
deployed from the US to the JFK Hospital and
ELWA Hospital both in Monrovia, Republic of
Liberia, both hotspots of the Ebola disease
outbreak.
The robots,
technically known as TRU-D
SmartUVC, were used to disinfect health care
environments where Ebola patients are being
treated.
Good Health Weekly gathered that TRU-D is
the only portable UV disinfection device on
the market with Sensor360 technology, which
calculates the time needed to react to room
variables such as size, geometry, surface
reflectivity and the amount and location of
equipment in the room and effectively deliver
a lethal dose of UV-C light during a single
cycle from a single, central location in the
room.
Ultraviolet light “It works by generating
ultraviolet light energy that modifies the DNA
structure of viral pathogens, like Ebola, so
that they cannot reproduce. Viruses that
cannot reproduce cannot colonise and harm
patients,” the inventor, a tropical disease
expert and medical anthropologist Dr. Jeffery
L. Deal noted in an interview.
Deal and his colleague, Chuck Dunn,
President and CEO of TRU-D LLC,
respectively, spoke about the importance of
TRU-D to environmental disinfection in “TRU-
D has been validated by more than 10
studies to be 99.99 percent effective in
eliminating the most common pathogens that
can use health care-associated infections.
After deploying germ-killing robots to Liberia
to aid in battle against the Ebola Virus
Disease, TRU-D SmartUVC inventor traveled
to the Ebola hotspots with UV disinfection
devices
TRU-D guarantees a pathogen-free
environment for patients and health care
staff. Deal, a Fellow in the Royal Society of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, has been
training hospital staff to operate the devices
in a number of hospital environments and
monitor progress for successful disinfection.
• TRU-D SmartUVC ultraviolet disinfection
device on display
“We developed TRU-D SmartUVC technology
to combat the devastating effects ofhospital
acquired infections,” Deal said.
“Unlike many diseases, Ebola strikes hospital
workers more than any other group, making
it the ultimate hospital acquired infection.”
With TRU-D, health care leaders in the U.S.,
Canada, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia are
eliminating pathogens like Ebola, Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome, MERS, influenza,
norovirus, Clostridium difficile, Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, etc.,
in all types of health care settings, including
isolation wards, patient rooms, operating
rooms, surgical suites, intensive care units,
emergency rooms, public areas and
ambulances.
“We know through extensive CDC-funded
research specific to TRU-D conducted by
thought leaders in epidemiology and infection
prevention that TRU-D is effective at
eliminating anypathogen by delivering a
precisely measured UVC dose.
“As soon as we knew we could aid struggling
hospitals in Liberia, our team came together
and formulated a plan to get TRU-D on the
ground. More than 200 TRU-Ds have been
deployed to disinfect hospitals across the U.S.
and internationally.
Significance Between 10 and 15 percent of
Ebola cases have been among health care
workers. While most of this stems from
contact with the patient, concerns exist that
the physical environment can retain active
microbes and be a risk. This device is used in
the US to eliminate the organisms that may
still reside on the walls, knobs, rails or any
other exposed surface in health care settings.
The robotic technology is capable of making
the Liberian hospitals safer for the staff and
for new patients.
Development
It was developed by a team of engineers,
physicians and industrial hygienists with the
purpose of decontaminating entire rooms
automatically and eliminating concerns that a
contaminated surface was missed during
routine cleaning.
We use an ultra-efficient narrow wavelength
called UVC to flood the room with germicidal
energy. UVC dosage is accurately measured
and automatically adapts to kill organisms,
even in shadowed areas.
UV disinfection technology and EVD control
This technology is designed to prevent the
spread of the disease transmitted via
contaminated surfaces in health care
environments and is not a treatment or a
cure. We believe that prevention is the best
medicine.
The U.S. Army tested this particular
wavelength against Ebola and found that the
measured dose TRU-D delivers results in
incredibly rapid destruction of the virus with
its pathogen-specific dosing options.. We
know it is perfect for use in this critical
setting.
Merits/demerits
Multiple studies have already been published
from U.S. and UK academic facilities of TRU-
D’s ability to decontaminate rooms, almost
always testing it against organisms that are
much more difficult to kill in the environment
than Ebola is.

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