CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 1, 2015 | Page 74

COPPER

Substituting plastic, wood, stainless steel and other surfaces with copper has been
shown to significantly reduce the overall microbial burden on a continuous basis,
providing a potentially safer environment for hospital patients. PHOTO: Supplied.
to-treat infections in humans, as well as
those that can cause lung inflammation
and haemorrhage, and even bacteria that
can be fatal if they get into critical body
organs. These microbes, part of a group
of pathogens that have a high rate of
resistance to antibiotics, are responsible for
most hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).
The study also found that antimicrobial
copper surfaces are effective against
tuberculosis bacteria. AMC inhibits the
growth of both a TB strain resistant to a
first-line medication used to prevent and
treat the disease, as well as a strain of the
bacteria that is multidrug resistant — by
98% and 88% respectively, when compared
with a PVC surface.
In the United States, HAIs are the sixth
leading cause of death, says Professor
Michael Schmidt, vice chairperson of
Microbiology and Immunology at the
Medical University of South Carolina.
“It kills more folks than HIV and breast
cancer combined,” he said.
And as he points out, the U.S. is better
off than most countries.
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| Issue 1 | Capital

And yet, even with this overwhelming
evidence, stainless steel, plastic and other
materials that offer none of the benefits of
antimicrobial copper are still in widespread
use in South Africa for hand railings, hospital
operating theatres, medical accessories,
and work surfaces in clinics and kitchens.
Capital asked Copalcor, Africa’s l &vW7@