Vioguard Self-Sanitizing Keyboard Introduced in Canada; UV Light Kills H1N1 Flu, MRSA and Healthcare-Associated Infections

Keyboard Launch in Canada at American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Annual Meeting, October 12-17 in Toronto

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vioguard LLC, www.vioguard.com, is introducing the world’s first self-sanitizing computer keyboard to kill MRSA and other healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) 91^st annual meeting, October 12-17 in Toronto. The event marks the first availability of the innovative keyboard for medical market uses and consumers in Canada.

“By presenting a disinfected keyboard to each user, our goal is to dramatically reduce the spread of MRSA, flu and other viruses and bacteria in shared computer environments.”

Members of Vioguard’s management team will be available at booth #2334 during the meeting.

Harnessing the power and properties of ultraviolet light, Vioguard’s proprietary UVKB50 self-sanitizing keyboard is being introduced at a time when healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), including MRSA, strike an estimated 250,000 hospital patients in Canada each year. These “superbugs” kill an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 patients in Canada each year, according to 2008 statistics from Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases (CFID).

Ultraviolet light is known to be affective against harmful microorganisms such as H1N1 flu, MRSA and molds. Based on independent laboratory testing, the ultraviolet light generated by the unit’s two powerful 25-watt germicidal fluorescent lamps killed more than 99.99% of harmful bacteria and viruses, including MRSA and flu, in less than 90 seconds.

Priced at $899 US, it is currently available in Canada through Amazon.com. For additional sales information call toll free at 866-910-0471 or email [e-mail]

Vioguard’s product has the look and feel of a standard notebook keyboard, and requires no software or special hardware to function. On a user-triggered or pre-determined basis, the Vioguard keyboard automatically retracts into its own clean, “light tight” enclosure and safely floods the keyboard with ultraviolet light to disinfect keyboard surfaces.

With widespread use of electronic medical records in Canada and elsewhere, computer keyboards have emerged as one of the prime focal points of contamination in dental offices and medical environments. Manual cleaning is currently the most common method used to disinfect keyboards. To be effective, keyboards should be wiped down repeatedly throughout the day--which is often difficult, impractical and labour-intensive.

Developed by former Microsoft Hardware veterans and their business partners, the self-sanitizing keyboard is the first product introduced by Bothell, Washington-based Vioguard.

“The spread of MRSA and other HAIs, not to mention flu, in Canada and elsewhere is a complex problem that's being tackled each day. We believe Vioguard is offering a new and effective tool in this fight,” said Vioguard’s Chief Technical Officer Craig Ranta, a former Microsoft Hardware engineering director.

The keyboard is now available for use by medical-oriented customers and consumers in Canada. In the United States, it is currently designated as an investigational device, limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use pending U.S. Food & Drug Administration clearance. FDA clearance is anticipated in the first quarter of 2010.

How it works

Since the early 20^th century, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation has been studied and used to disinfect Microbes uniquely vulnerable to the effects of UV light at specific wavelengths that contain just the right amount of energy to break down organic molecular bonds. Viruses such as flu and MRSA are particularly impacted by UV light.

The key to the effectiveness of the product is not only the UV technology but specific and proprietary features, including:

• Automatic
  • Disinfects the keyboard after each use. The user no longer has to manually wipe down the keyboard to disinfect it.
• Easy to use
  • No flat, hard to use keyboard or keyboard cover. The keyboard features a high quality laptop style keyset and an advanced state of the art multi-touch track pad.
• Easy to install
  • The keyboard unit is designed as a simple “plug-and-play” tool that works without the need of additional software.
• Reliable
  • Self monitoring to ensure consistent UV exposure every time and extensive lifecycle testing for robustness.

“Our keyboard was designed to be durable, efficient and user-friendly where computer keyboards are shared,” said John Sharps, Vioguard’s Vice President of Development and Manufacturing who previously oversaw development and manufacturing of Microsoft Hardware products. “By presenting a disinfected keyboard to each user, our goal is to dramatically reduce the spread of MRSA, flu and other viruses and bacteria in shared computer environments.”

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