Chlorine Bleach Destroys the Monkeypox Virus on Environmental Surfaces

An August 11 News article on the World Chlorine Council (WCC) website reports the monkeypox virus can be substantially inactivated on contaminated surfaces by a chlorine bleach solution. The article provides explicit directions, based on a published study, for developing and applying the bleach solution to surfaces that are first cleaned with detergent and water. According to the World Health Organization, the “monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.” Although not as easily spread as COVID-19, monkeypox can survive in linens, clothing and on environmental surfaces, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the WCC article, “CDC recommends disinfecting all areas where a person with monkeypox has spent time, including all items potentially contaminated by that person, such as ‘tables, countertops, door handles, toilet flush handles, light switches, and floors.’”

The article notes the current global monkeypox outbreak has resulted in 28,220 cases as of August 5, 2022. On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the current monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The WCC article concludes, “In early 2020, we described how a diluted bleach solution could be used to destroy SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces. As the world community now contends with monkeypox, it is good to know that common household bleach can be used to help reduce the spread of yet another virus of global concern.”