The Athletics World Championships 2017 in London was a highlight for the top athletes this year. However, not only the competitors were successful. The norovirus spread among some athletes and put them out of action for some time. The typical symptoms of a norovirus infection occurred quite suddenly: The athletes suffered from severe nausea, violent vomiting and diarrhoea. Since humans can still be contagious, especially during the acute stage and up to 48 hours after the appearance of symptoms, each potentially infected athlete was quarantined for 48 hours. It is known that noroviruses are still detectable up to 14 days after the end of the disease in the stool. For this reason, infection over contaminated areas, e.g. sanitation, is still possible.
In order to prevent further infections, the infection chain must be interrupted. It sounds very simple, but is hard to realise, because noroviruses are highly infectious. 10-100 viruses are already enough to infect a human. Accordingly, the athletes were instructed to avoid hugs and handshakes after the competitions. In addition, the participants and their trainers were advised to use hand disinfectants more intensively and to wash their hands regularly to prevent the transfer of viruses. Even fruit lying around openly should be avoided. Efficient hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infection transfer and the spread of pathogenic germs.
For hygienic hand disinfection, Dr. Weigert recommends the following products with efficacy against noroviruses:
triformin® safeDIS for the food sector:
- For hygienic hand disinfection
- Bactericidal, yeasticidal, virucidal incl. noroviruses
- With skin care and re-moisturising components
- Free of perfumes and colouring agents
Use disinfectants safely. Always read the label and product information before use.
weigoman® oder weigoman® parfümfrei* for use in patient/resident areas:
- For hygienic and surgical hand disinfection
- Bactericidal, tuberculocidal, fungicidal, active against enveloped viruses, active against rotaviruses and noroviruses
- With skin care and re-moisturising components
- Also applicable during pregnancy and lactation
For hygienic hand disinfection, the hand disinfectant is rubbed undiluted into the hands so that the entire surface of the hands including the problem areas (e.g. under fingernails) are completely wetted. The rubbing method for hygienic hand disinfection according to the European standard EN 1500 offers assistance in covering the entire surface of the hands.**
*weigoman / weigoman parfümfrei: Composition: 100 g solution for application on the skin contains 63.14 g 2-propanol and 14.3 g 1-propanol. Excipients: Purified water, glycerol, butane-1,3-diol, lanolin-poly(oxyethylene)-75. Additionally in weigoman: perfume oil Fresh. Fields of application: Hygienic and surgical hand disinfection. Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to the active substances or to any of the excipients. Do not apply to the area near the eyes, mucous membranes or open wounds. Side effects: Dehydration of the skin (flaking, redness, tension, itching) with repeated use. Allergic reactions on contact with the skin or hypersensitivity reactions are possible. Warnings: Contains wool wax. Pharmaceutical entrepreneur: Chemische Fabrik Dr. Weigert GmbH & Co. KG, Mühlenhagen 85, 20539 Hamburg. Last updated: May 2017
**DIN EN 1500 (2013): Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics, hygienic hand disinfection. Test methods and requirements (phase 2 / step 2).
Top athletes in competition with the norovirus
