GOJO Blog

Every January, as K-12 schools, colleges, and universities return to campus after winter break, schools brace for a flare-up of seasonal illnesses as students and staff bring germs from around the country back to campus. This year, high cases of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and the flu have been reported throughout the U.S., with COVID-19 cases rising. But, so far, one illness that appears to be hiding just below the radar is the dreaded "winter vomiting bug" or "stomach flu."

While infections from norovirus – the germ that most commonly causes these stomach bugs – can be contracted year-round, outbreaks most often occur between November and April, the same time many other seasonal germs are wreaking havoc across campuses. And, like many other illnesses in recent months, it appears that we are primed for a bad norovirus season, as pandemic hygiene practices continue to be abandoned.

Schools are active breeding grounds for germs

With their high student-to-student contact and shared eating facilities, K-12 schools, colleges, and university campuses are all too familiar with illness outbreaks, including norovirus – the #1 cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. It is very contagious – it only takes a few virus particles to make someone sick, and a sick person sheds billions of particles of the virus in their vomit and feces. In fact, the first outbreak of what is now known as norovirus occurred in 1968 among school children in Norwalk, Ohio (hence the "noro" in the name norovirus).

How norovirus spreads

Anyone can get infected and sick from the germs that cause stomach bugs, but they spread differently than respiratory viruses which primarily spread through sneezing or coughing (like those that cause COVID or the flu.) Norovirus – and other germs that cause stomach bugs – cause vomiting and diarrhea. To become infected with norovirus, the germs must be ingested (swallowed.) So, while it's gross to think about, the illness spreads when particles of stool or vomit from an infected person make their way into another person's mouth! How does this happen?

1. By having direct contact with someone who is infected.
2. By consuming food or water that has been contaminated with the virus by an infected person, for example, during meal preparation.
3. By touching contaminated surfaces and then transferring the germs from your hands into your mouth, for example, during eating or by touching your face.

With contaminated food being the most common transmission mode, the risk of transmission is higher in settings like campus dining facilities because of the large numbers of students and staff eating common foods, prepared by specific individuals, in a relatively confined space.

As students (and staff) return to campus after the holidays, it's important to have a cleaning and disinfection plan in place to start the year off strong and help prevent outbreaks. But how confident are you that you know all of the places where germs like those that may cause stomach bugs may be lurking in your dining facility?

Germiest surfaces in a campus dining facility

We recently conducted a study in a campus dining facility at a large university in the Northeast. During a typical weekday meal service, we found a whopping 63% of surfaces contaminated with germs that could cause illness!¹ Some places were obvious – like food preparation areas, sink handles, and dining tables – but some were rather surprising. Here are the Top 5 "germiest" surfaces sampled in the campus dining facility:

1. Rolling cart used for food transportation: 208 million bacteria
2. Food preparation surface: 119 million bacteria
3. Sink handles: 93 million bacteria
4. Salad bar surface: 45 million bacteria
5. Touch screen: 34 million bacteria

In fact, all of these surfaces had more than 10x the number of germs found in a toilet bowl!^2,3  And – speaking of toilets – you would expect to find germs in restrooms, but we were surprised to find that 1 in 20 surfaces were contaminated with norovirus ¹ – despite no active outbreak being reported on campus!

Do's and Don'ts of killing germs in your facility

Although some of these germy surfaces may be a shock, luckily, there are simple steps on your part to help to prevent these germs from spreading and causing outbreaks. Here is a list of "Do's" and "Don’ts” to make sure you are seeking and destroying the germs in your facility – not just the ones that may be easier to spot:

• Do: Clean surfaces first (especially if they are heavily soiled). Food or grease buildup may make it harder for the surface sanitizer to act where it needs to. To save time and money, look for products that offer 1-step cleaning and sanitization or disinfection. Another tip – avoid using a soiled rag that will spread dirt and germs.
• Do: Sanitize surfaces using an EPA-approved sanitizer or disinfectant. Just because you can't see the germs doesn't mean they aren’t there. Some germs can survive on surfaces for long periods (norovirus can survive on surfaces for weeks), making it necessary to disinfect surfaces properly and frequently. Choosing an EPA-listed sanitizer or disinfectant will give you confidence that you are killing key germs.
• Do: Read the label and follow instructions on the surface sanitizer or disinfectant. Follow the contact time (amount of time a surface needs to remain wet for germicidal activity to occur). This typically ranges between 30 seconds and 10 minutes for certain germs, like E. coli, Salmonella, and norovirus. Also, ensure your product’s compatibility with the type of surface being sanitized or disinfected (such as stainless steel, glass, plastic, or electronic devices).
• Do: Get to know your facility and make a cleaning and sanitizing/disinfecting plan. Identify high-touch surfaces in the back-of-house area and the dining/front-of-house area, starting at the entrance to the facility. Look for surfaces that are in contact with raw ingredients/foods or those that visibly look “dirty.” Make a list of surfaces that are very high touch – or get heavily soiled – and require cleaning and sanitization/disinfection multiple times per day versus those that can be cleaned and sanitized/disinfected daily or even weekly. With all the tasks that need doing every day, this takes the guesswork out – making knowing what to clean and when easy.
• Don't: Just clean what you can see with your eyes. Seek out the hard-to-reach spaces where dirt and germs can thrive. Make sure you clean all the nooks and crannies of your kitchen and dining area regularly, including closets/walk-in coolers, storage areas, and counter or table-top edges and undersides.
• Don’t: Forget outdoor dining spaces. Outdoor areas generally require routine cleaning and do not require high levels of disinfection. The targeted use of disinfectants should be performed on outdoor hard surfaces and objects that are frequently touched by many people, including dining tables, chairs, and garbage receptacles.
• Don’t: Compromise indoor air quality with harsh chemicals. High-quality, lower toxicity, EPA-approved surface hygiene solutions are available, so there is no need to compromise germ-kill for diner and staff well-being. Higher toxicity-rated disinfectants frequently have "Caution" statements like "causes eye irritation" or instruct to "wash hands thoroughly after use." Higher-toxicity products may also require the use of gloves during use. Lower toxicity-rated disinfectants can typically be identified by the ABSENCE of these “Caution” statements.

For more on our findings from a study of surfaces in a campus dining facility, download this infographic. For hand and surface hygiene solutions for colleges and universities, visit https://www.gojo.com/en/Industries/College-University or for K-12 hygiene solutions, visit https://www.gojo.com/en/Industries/Education-K12. For more on norovirus prevention
in schools, read my blog "Tips to Prevent Norovirus Outbreaks in K-12 Schools."

1. GOJO Industries, Inc., Field Test, Dining Facility Surfaces Efficacy Study, 1 June 2022 (3000679)
2. Rusin P, Orosz-Coughlin P, Gerba C. Reduction of faecal coliform, coliform and heterotrophic plate count bacteria in the household kitchen and bathroom by disinfection with hypochlorite cleaners. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 85(5), 819-28 (1998).
3. Finch, J.E., Prince, J. & Hawksworth, M. A bacteriological survey of the domestic environment. Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 45, 357– 364 (1978).