May 28, 2020

Evaluation of World Health Organization-Recommended Hand Hygiene Formulations

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

• The World Health Organization-recommended alcohol-based hand rub formulations do not meet the European standards for hygienic hand sanitizers or surgical hand preparation. However, modified formulas that use alcohol concentrations of 80% ethanol or 75% isopropanol in combination with a reduced glycerol concentration (0.5%) meet these requirements and may be useful alternatives to unavailable commercial hand hygiene products. 

Suchomel et al. (May 27, 2020). Evaluation of World Health Organization-Recommended Hand Hygiene Formulations. Emerging Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2609.201761