Business Wire

WDGMC

5.4.2022 08:47:12 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
South African Teaching Hospital Achieves CRE Superbug Decrease Following Novel Environmental Hygiene Intervention

Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre announced novel study results indicating for the first time that Ultraviolet (UV) room decontamination technology paired with manual cleaning protocols decreased the transmission of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) by 23% in a hospital setting. The study results have been published in the March 2022 issue of The Journal of Hospital Infection.

The team of researchers at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC), the first private teaching hospital in South Africa, demonstrated the reduction in CRE transmission following a 26-month study and the sustained use of a UV room decontamination device (UVDI-360 Room Sanitizer, provided by US-based manufacturer UVDI and eHealthGroup Infection Control) as an adjunct to standard cleaning, including the use of bleach and quaternary ammonium disinfectants, across the 210-bed hospital. The intervention included broad UV room decontamination across five high-risk patient units (including critical care, oncology, transplant and gastrointestinal surgery rooms) during a 12-month period following a 12-month baseline and two-month, wash-in period.

“Our team’s study indicated that enhanced environmental hygiene utilizing UV room decontamination technology in the hospital can help prevent the transmission of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales , an especially challenging set of multidrug-resistant organisms,” stated lead investigator Dr. Warren Lowman, Clinical Microbiologist & Infection Prevention and Control Specialist, Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre.

The UV room decontamination device was implemented in three usage scenarios: terminal cleaning following patient discharge, terminal cleaning following patient transfer and, in a novel treatment, occupied rooms where the patient had an existing MDRO infection and was moved during device use. For each scenario, the UV device was operated with five-minute treatment cycles, the number of which varied per room setting and size.

CRE refers to a broader set of microorganisms that demonstrate resistance to at least one of the Carbapenem antibiotics.1 Recent published surveillance studies in South Africa have indicated a CRE infection crude mortality rate of nearly 40%.2

“This research underlines WDGMC’s steadfast commitment to patient and staff safety through the use of novel infection prevention protocols,” said Dr. Sue Tager, Chief Executive Officer, Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. “In the ongoing fight to prevent the transmission of superbugs, both in and beyond Africa, these results provide hope and concrete proof that effective solutions exist.”

About Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre

Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) is the first and only private teaching hospital in South Africa. It was established in 2002 when the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) bought the Kenridge Hospital with a founding donation from the Donald Gordon Foundation. The institution was then renamed the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. The 210-bed facility’s main specialties are transplant surgery, oncology (paediatric and adult), gastroenterology (medical and surgical), geriatric medicine, interventional radiology ophthalmology, ear-nose and throat, urology, nephrology, cardiology, women’s health and orthopaedics.

___________

1 https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/cre/technical-info.html
2 Perovic O, Ismail H, Quan V, Bamford C, Nana T, Chibabhai V, Bhola P, Ramjathan P, Swe Swe-Han K, Wadula J, Whitelaw A, Smith M, Mbelle N, Singh-Moodley A; for GERMS-SA. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in patients with bacteraemia at tertiary hospitals in South Africa, 2015 to 2018. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020 Jul;39(7):1287-1294. doi: 10.1007/s10096-020-03845-4. Epub 2020 Mar 2. PMID: 32124106.

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Verimatrix: Sale of Extended Threat Defense Assets (Mobile Application Protection) to Guardsquare5.2.2026 17:45:00 CET | Press release

Completion of the sale of XTD assets (code and mobile application protection), including a portfolio of patents and a team of experts.The Group is refocusing on anti-piracy (video protection), its core business, which represents approximately 90% of its total revenue. Regulatory News: Verimatrix, (Euronext Paris: VMX), a leading provider of security solutions for a safer connected world, today announced that it has completed the sale of 100% of its Extended Threat Defense (XTD) assets to Guardsquare, a Belgian company and leader in mobile application security. This transaction follows the signing of an agreement announced in a press release on December 8, 2025, as well as regulatory approval. It is part of Verimatrix's overall strategy to refocus on its core business, reflecting the group's strategic decision to concentrate on the key growth segments of the video protection market. Commenting on the announcement, Laurent Dechaux, CEO of Verimatrix, said: “Verimatrix has a strong techno

Duna, Built by Stripe Veterans, Raises €30 Million CapitalG-led Series A to Solve Business Identity For The Internet5.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Duna, the identity fintech founded by two Stripe alumni, today announced a €30 million Series A funding round led by CapitalG, Alphabet’s independent growth fund. Existing investors Index Ventures, Puzzle Ventures and Snowflake Chairman Frank Slootman also participated in the round. The company, based in Germany and the Netherlands, was launched in 2023 by Duco van Lanschot, who was head of Benelux and DACH at Stripe for three years, and David Schreiber, who spent six years at Stripe where he ran the company’s largest global business unit, including the core card payment platform. In May 2025, the company announced a €10.7 million seed round led by Index Ventures. The latest fundraise brings Duna’s total funding to more than €40 million. Duna’s mission is to build global trust infrastructure by providing a digital passport for every business. Over time, this will evolve into a network for shareable identity and one-click onboarding. Today Duna’s AI-native business identity platform ser

AI-Powered Experian Assistant for Model Risk Management Wins 2026 BIG Innovation Award5.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Highlights how Experian’s AI capabilities help global financial institutions keep regulatory documentation aligned with rapid model innovations Experian today announced that its recently launched, AI‑powered Experian Assistant for Model Risk Management has been awarded the 2026 BIG Innovation Award in the Innovative Products category. Recognizing trailblazers across industries since 2014, this global award celebrates exceptional innovation and the value it brings to a recipient’s clients, stakeholders and community. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205042051/en/ Experian's recently launched, AI-powered Experian Assistant for Model Risk Management has been awarded the 2026 BIG Innovation Award in the Innovative Products category. Fully integrated into the Experian Ascend Platform™ and powered by ValidMind technology, Experian Assistant for Model Risk Management helps accelerate model validation, improve audit

LTIMindtree Recognized as a Leader in Everest Group Payments IT Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 20255.2.2026 14:30:00 CET | Press release

LTIMindtree [NSE: LTIM, BSE: 540005], a leading global technology consulting and digital solutions provider, has been positioned as a Leader in the Everest Group Payments IT Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025. This recognition is for being a strategic transformation partner that combines modernization scale, platform alliances, and innovation across real-time, digital assets, and ensure secure, regulator-ready payment environments. Everest Group highlighted LTIMindtree’s strong market impact and vision and capability in delivering largescale payments across issuers, acquirers, payment processors, card networks, and FinTechs. The assessment comes at a time when enterprises are rapidly modernizing legacy payments platforms to support real-time, cross-border, and ISO 20022 compliant payment environments, while enhancing resiliency, interoperability, and regulatory compliance. LTIMindtree stands out for its product engineering expertise across major payment platforms like Finastra GPP/P

PubNub Achieves SOC 3 Compliance, Reinforcing Commitment to Security, Trust, and Transparency5.2.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release

PubNub, the real-time communications platform that powers low-latency, event-driven logic across modern application architectures, is pleased to announce that it has achieved SOC 3 compliance. This latest attestation highlights PubNub’s continuous dedication to providing a secure and trusted platform for building and scaling interactive online experiences. The SOC 3 report affirms that PubNub’s systems meet the Trust Services Criteria for security, availability, and confidentiality. Unlike SOC 2 reports, which are restricted to existing customers or partners due to the level of operational detail they include, SOC 3 reports are designed for broad, public distribution. This transparency enables anyone to verify that PubNub adheres to the stringent controls required by the SOC 2 framework, providing proof of robust information security and operational integrity. This achievement adds to PubNub’s extensive compliance portfolio, which includes SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, HIPAA, and G

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye