Environment
The heat feels so good!
Hot tubs, whirlpools, physiotherapy tanks are used for soothing pains, treating certain medical conditions, or just relaxing. They all use heat for pain relief and health.
But: a high temperature encourages bacterial growth. If chlorine level drops momentarily – which it does, since most tanks do not have an automatic control of free chlorine – pathogens such as Pseudomonas, Staphylococus or Legionella can proliferate.
On the floor surrounding the tanks, thousands of microscopic dead skin flakes can be present, a percentage of them being contaminated with dermatophytes. Dermatophytes plus humidity create a perfect environment for the skin of the feet to be infected. Dermatophytes are very infectious and one can easily get them by walking barefoot in the spa area.
Consequences
If appropriate measures are not taken, and as a consequence the water is contaminated, serious infections can occur. Urinary tract infections, pneumonia and several types of skin infections can be spread by accidentally drinking contaminated water or having a wound in contact with the water. Even without wounds, a bacterium such as Pseudomonas can invades hair follicles on the skin, causing an infection, folliculitis. Symptoms include itchy red bumps that may become filled with pus.
On the floor of the spa, dermatophytes thrive, and are ready to attach to the skin of the feet: itching, stinging, and burning on the toes, on the soles of the feet – your feet are infected.
Advice for Visitors
Before you enter the spa area, ask the manager:
- Can the hose and pipes of the whirlpool be sanitized? Are there filters stopping pieces of biofilms high in bacteria from entering the tank?
- Are the interior of the tank and and the floor around it disinfected properly?
Advice for Managers
Tell your visitors about the available options to protect them. Offer them the best available technologies: NOSO for eliminating in 30 seconds community acquired bacteria (including C. difficile) and fungi from the whirlpool, the floor and surfaces; AVI to disinfect the skin of the feet in 15 seconds so that dermatophytes do not enter the spa area. Abioniv can help you establish a a program to control the critical points in your spa, by defining the risks and the products to be used: where, how, how often.
How it works
AVI and NOSO are professional products that work in just seconds. Before they enter the area, visitors walk in a foot bath that contains AVI or shower their feet with AVI. NOSO can be easily spread out on the floor/ surfaces.
AVI AND NOSO ARE EFFECTIVE, SAFE, AND WORK VERY FAST!