First international congress confirms antimicrobial effectiveness / copper - the new health watchdog
At the end of November, the first international congress took place in Athens, which dealt with the important role of copper in the fight against hospital-acquired infections. Globally leading scientists have attested copper with specific antimicrobial properties, which assign the material an important role as "health watchdog": Laboratory tests have shown that 99,9 percent of bacteria, including the highly dangerous MRSA pathogens (MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), are within over a period of a few minutes to two hours on copper surfaces. On the other hand, survival rates of the same microbes of up to three days were measured on stainless steel surfaces. In Athens, in addition to these research results, the first practical experiences from clinical investigations were presented that are being carried out in various hospitals in Great Britain, South Africa, Japan, the USA and the Asklepios Clinic in Hamburg-Wandsbek. Frequently used contact surfaces such as doorknobs or light switches have been replaced by products made of a copper alloy.
The constantly increasing number of antibiotic-resistant germs such as MRSA in recent years is causing increasing problems worldwide. Thousands of patients become infected with these dangerous pathogens every year - and the numbers continue to rise. According to serious estimates, more than half a million so-called nosocomial infections - ie infections acquired in hospitals - occur in German hospitals each year.
In the US, it is estimated that around 90.000 patients die each year from hospital-borne infections, while the UK estimates around 9.000 deaths over the same period. Last but not least, Greece campaigned for this congress because the spread of MRSA is most pronounced in the southern countries and is still on the rise. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), there are three million cases across Europe, of which 50.000 are fatal.
The interest in the event was correspondingly high. Participants included Professor Stefanos Geroulanos (FACS, FCCM FEATCS) and Professor Helen Giamarellou, Greece, Professor Michael G. Schmidt, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of South Carolina, Professor Harold Michels, Senior Vice President Technology and Technical Services at the US Copper Institute, Professor Peter Keevil, University of Southampton, Professor Tom Elliott, Clinical Director, Selly Oak Hospital, UK, Professor Dietrich H. Nies, Director, Biological Institute, Martin Luther University, Halle, Angela Vessey, Executive Director, Copper Institute, UK, Dr . Anton Klassert, Managing Director of the German Copper Institute, and Dr. Ann Noble, Architect with experience of interior design for hospitals and involved in research into hospital infections in the UK. The importance of the conference was underlined by the patronage of the Greek Minister of Health and Welfare, George Papageorgiou.
Incidentally, the congress was organized by the Greek Copper Institute - in close cooperation with the European Copper Institute (ECI) in Brussels.
More information and a video of the event are available from the Copper Institute in Greece: Hellenic Copper Development Institute, www.copper.org.gr,
Source: Athens [Copper Institute]
