[READ & SHARE] Scientist invents ‘robot’ that kills Ebola virus Via @iKanzee_RR

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.
“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