Treated bed linens claimed to kill infectious pathogens in hospitals

The latest advancement in the battle against microbes that cause hospital-acquired infections isn't a new antibiotic drug or surgical procedure – it's the launch today of bed linens treated with HaloShield, a patented technology that harnesses the antimicrobial power of chlorine-based sanitisers to kill infection-causing pathogens, including MRSA and VRE.

"It is well documented that soiled linens harbour microorganisms that can be transmitted to others," said Professor Gang Sun, professor of textiles and clothing at the University of California and one of the developers of HaloShield technology. "In light of the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the use of HaloShield can be a major development in the battle against microbes that spread infection." For the first time, hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities will be able to use HaloShield sheets and pillowcases to combat the spread of a wide range of resistant bacteria, viruses and other microbes, including MRSA, a form of staph bacteria. "Sheets using this new technology may prove to be an important adjunct to a health care facility's infection control practices," said Dorothy Thompson, Infection Control Coordinator for Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago. "It can help reduce the spread of organisms to health care workers and possibly to other patients." HaloShield extends the capabilities of EPA-registered chlorine-based sanitisers – proven hygienic agents that do not promote resistant microbes – to maintain an effective antimicrobial barrier for the lifetime of the sheet. US company Medline Industries licenses HaloShield from Vanson HaloSource, with exclusive rights to distribute HaloShield-treated hospital sheets, pillowcases, scrubs, gowns and reusable underpads in North and South America.