On Monday, May 23, EPA triggered its emerging viral pathogen (EVP) guidance in response to recent cases of monkeypox in the United States. EPA expects products on its List of Disinfectants for Emerging Viral Pathogens to kill monkeypox when used according to the label directions.
When rare or novel viruses cause outbreaks of disease, there may be few if any disinfectants that have been tested and registered for use against that specific pathogen. To prepare for situations like these, EPA created the EVP guidance, which allows disinfectant manufacturers to submit data to EPA demonstrating a product’s efficacy against difficult-to-inactivate viruses.
Monkeypox belongs to a group of viruses that is more susceptible to disinfectants than other types of viruses. While there are no disinfectants registered for use against monkeypox, all products with EVP claims have been tested against viruses that are more difficult to kill than monkeypox.
