Anyone know about ViraBan Hand Sanitizing Foam?

[San Diego Ellie]

I found this product in an internet search of products that would be effective against norovirus. I emailed the manufacturer, Microhealth Laboratories, Inc. and asked about the prduct and whether it was effective against noro. They claim it is. Anyway, I ordered two of them as it was fairly inexpensive, but wondered what anyone knows about it, or if anyone has used it.

 

I tried to do a search on this forum so that if it was mentioned before, I could find it and not repeat. However search has been down since last night, so I decided to go ahead and post this.

[cb at sea]

Just remember, even after you use it, once you touch anything, you are no longer "sanitized"! So it may help, but it won't be 100% effective!

[Steviewonder1]

We use Clorox kitchen wipes. They go in our carryon luggage and we wipe the cabin down first thing on board.

 

Good Luck with killing the germs, cause you know they are out there....

[okgirl]

I'm not a proponent of using hand sanitizer's on the ship. I do take anti-bacterial wipes to use when in port just incase a restroom isn't handy.

We're getting ready to go on our 14th & 15th cruises and we've never had any problems with noro or anything else for that matter.

I am a frequent hand wash, keep your hands off your face type person, (the most common point for viruses is eye's, nose, mouth)....sister and I have a ongoing challenge to police each other, which ever one of us catchs the other one rubbing their eyes or nose, gets a drink of the day puchased by the guilty party.

[blindrid]

Anything that is marketed through network marketing I'm skeptical about. Let's see it kills germs and bacteria....nothing about viruses but it is organic..... My vote is thanks but no thanks.....

[Sundagger]

I had never heard of ViraBan and I'm familiar with most hand sanitizers, having reviewed the literature on them for use in our hospital laboratory. I went to their website and it is remarkably uninformative:confused: . It's unfortunate that they chose the same product name as a widely used prescription medication.

 

Since they don't post their MSDS online:confused: , I've emailed them asking for it. They don't even list the active ingredient on their site, which is troubling. I'd definitely look for a product that doesn't hide it's important information.

[dforeigner]

We use Clorox kitchen wipes. They go in our carryon luggage and we wipe the cabin down first thing on board.

 

Good Luck with killing the germs, cause you know they are out there....

 

You may want to read the label as those wipes usually do not have chlorine in them. The use of the label Clorox is misleading in this case.

[San Diego Ellie]

Sundagger, I had emailed asking for the active ingredient as well as whether it was effective against norovirus, and they emailed me back promptly saying:

 

"Thank you for your question. ViraBan is effective against the norovirus as it is designed for frequent and repeated use. ViraBan Hand Sanitizing Foam and Spray contains Bezalkonium Chloride. This active ingredient is used in a 10% concentration so that it is safe for continued and repeated use, especially by Doctors, Nurses, and Teachers."

 

 

 

Then it went on with other statements, but this is the relevant info. I wanted you to comment on. I probably wasted $13.50, which was the cost of the two bottles plus shipping, but I know I have thrown away money more foolishly than that many times.

 

Sundagger, what is your opinion of the stuff now that I have given you the quoted paragraph?

 

Thanks,

Ellie

[Sundagger]

Sundagger, I had emailed asking for the active ingredient as well as whether it was effective against norovirus, and they emailed me back promptly saying:

 

"Thank you for your question. ViraBan is effective against the norovirus as it is designed for frequent and repeated use. ViraBan Hand Sanitizing Foam and Spray contains Bezalkonium Chloride. This active ingredient is used in a 10% concentration so that it is safe for continued and repeated use, especially by Doctors, Nurses, and Teachers."

 

 

 

Then it went on with other statements, but this is the relevant info. I wanted you to comment on. I probably wasted $13.50, which was the cost of the two bottles plus shipping, but I know I have thrown away money more foolishly than that many times.

 

Sundagger, what is your opinion of the stuff now that I have given you the quoted paragraph?

 

Thanks,

Ellie

 

That's good to find out. Benzalkonium chloride is used in some circumstances, primarily for people who are sensitive to the more common alcohol based sanitizers. One formulation of Germ-X uses benzalkonium chloride. It is generally used for situations where alcohol wipes/towelettes are inappropriate, such as for drawing blood for blood alcohol level testing.

 

I don't think you've wasted your money - it's a fairly effective sanitizer (and we've all thrown away money in search of better products of all sorts):) . Give it a try - if it doesn't irritate your skin, use it up.

 

The CDC mentions it's use in one article about hand sanitizers, although it's not a very recent publication:

 

"Quaternary ammonium compounds [which include benzalkonium chloride] are usually well tolerated. However, because of weak activity against gram-negative bacteria, benzalkonium chloride is prone to contamination by these organisms. Several outbreaks of infection or pseudoinfection have been traced to quaternary ammonium compounds contaminated with gram-negative bacilli (211--213). For this reason, in the United States, these compounds have been seldom used for hand antisepsis during the last 15--20 years. However, newer handwashing products containing benzalkonium chloride or benzethonium chloride have recently been introduced for use by HCWs. A recent study of surgical intensive-care unit personnel found that cleaning hands with antimicrobial wipes containing a quaternary ammonium compound was about as effective as using plain soap and water for handwashing; both were less effective than decontaminating hands with an alcohol-based hand rub (214). One laboratory-based study reported that an alcohol-free hand-rub product containing a quaternary ammonium compound was efficacious in reducing microbial counts on the hands of volunteers (215). Further studies of such products are needed to determine if newer formulations are effective in health-care settings. " [italics mine]

 

In another article, the CDC discusses use of quat ammonium compounds specifically against norovirus:

 

"Quaternary ammonium compounds are often used for sanitizing food preparation surfaces or disinfecting large surfaces (e.g., countertops and floors). However, because noroviruses are non-enveloped virus particles, most quaternary ammonium compounds (which act by disrupting viral envelopes) do not have significant activity against them."

 

The fact is that very little that you could put on your skin will "kill" norovirus. Washing your hands thoroughly (which washes the virus off) is best - alcohol and other products are wonderful sanitizers, they kill almost every bug you'd want to avoid - just not norovirus. I use it in conjunction with good handwashing.

[San Diego Ellie]

Thanks so much for all the good information and analysis Sundagger.

Ellie