Ebola guidance for clinics and bleach dilution

Department of Health and Human Services has offered guidance for best practices for clinics and ambulatory care centers dealing with Ebola.

Several questions about the appropriate bleach dilution for cleaning up Ebola.  A 1:10 ratio of fresh bleach to water is the recommended dilution.  Do not mix in any other chemicals.  Use in a well ventilated area.  Bleach is an eye, skin and respirator irritant.

Canadian Guidelines:

SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Ebolavirus is susceptible to 3% acetic acid, 1% glutaraldehyde, alcohol-based products, and dilutions (1:10-1:100 for ≥10 minutes) of 5.25% household bleach (sodium hypochlorite), and calcium hypochlorite (bleach powder)^{Footnote48 Footnote49 Footnote50 Footnote62 Footnote63}. The WHO recommendations for cleaning up spills of blood or body fluids suggest flooding the area with a 1:10 dilutions of 5.25% household bleach for 10 minutes for surfaces that can tolerate stronger bleach solutions (e.g., cement, metal) ^Footnote62. For surfaces that may corrode or discolour, they recommend careful cleaning to remove visible stains followed by contact with a 1:100 dilution of 5.25% household bleach for more than 10 minutes.

For spills with more organic matter DEHS has consistantly recommended a contact time of 30 minutes.