Latest news with #SteroplastSterowipeAlcoholFreeCleansingWipes
North Wales Chronicle
5 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Infections linked to wipes which may have been used to clean cuts
Certain products should be binned to avoid contamination, officials said. It comes after an outbreak of a bacteria, burkholderia stabilis (B. stabilis). There have been 51 confirmed cases of B. stabilis between 2018 and 2025, with 'some serious infections which have required hospital treatment', the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Health chiefs said the outbreak is 'suspected to be associated with some non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products'. UKHSA and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are advising people to stop using the products, which they may find in their at-home first aid kit, and to put them in the bin. This includes: ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes; Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free and Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes. Testing also found contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, though with a different strain of the bacteria linked to the outbreak. While the warning only relates to the wipes listed, officials have reminded the public that non-sterile alcohol-free wipes should not be used for the treatment of wounds. Dr James Elston, consultant in epidemiology at the UKHSA said: 'While the overall risk to the public remains very low, a number of non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products have been linked to an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis. 'It is important these types of wipes are not used for the treatment of injuries, wounds, or broken skin, and that they are not used to clean intravenous lines. 'When treating cuts and grazes, it is important to follow NHS advice.' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, added: 'We consider wipes which are intended for a medical purpose to be medicines. These products do not have a medicines authorisation, and we are taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation governed by MHRA. 'If you have these wipes at home or in a first aid kit, please check the label and only use wipes marked as 'sterile' on broken skin.'
Leader Live
5 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
Infections linked to wipes which may have been used to clean cuts
Certain products should be binned to avoid contamination, officials said. It comes after an outbreak of a bacteria, burkholderia stabilis (B. stabilis). There have been 51 confirmed cases of B. stabilis between 2018 and 2025, with 'some serious infections which have required hospital treatment', the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Health chiefs said the outbreak is 'suspected to be associated with some non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products'. UKHSA and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are advising people to stop using the products, which they may find in their at-home first aid kit, and to put them in the bin. This includes: ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes; Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free and Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes. Testing also found contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, though with a different strain of the bacteria linked to the outbreak. While the warning only relates to the wipes listed, officials have reminded the public that non-sterile alcohol-free wipes should not be used for the treatment of wounds. Dr James Elston, consultant in epidemiology at the UKHSA said: 'While the overall risk to the public remains very low, a number of non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products have been linked to an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis. 'It is important these types of wipes are not used for the treatment of injuries, wounds, or broken skin, and that they are not used to clean intravenous lines. 'When treating cuts and grazes, it is important to follow NHS advice.' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, added: 'We consider wipes which are intended for a medical purpose to be medicines. These products do not have a medicines authorisation, and we are taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation governed by MHRA. 'If you have these wipes at home or in a first aid kit, please check the label and only use wipes marked as 'sterile' on broken skin.'
Powys County Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Powys County Times
Infections linked to wipes which may have been used to clean cuts
Health chiefs have linked a number of infections to certain cleaning wipes and urged people not to use them to treat cuts and scrapes. Certain products should be binned to avoid contamination, officials said. It comes after an outbreak of a bacteria, burkholderia stabilis (B. stabilis). There have been 51 confirmed cases of B. stabilis between 2018 and 2025, with 'some serious infections which have required hospital treatment', the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Health chiefs said the outbreak is 'suspected to be associated with some non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products'. UKHSA and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are advising people to stop using the products, which they may find in their at-home first aid kit, and to put them in the bin. This includes: ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes; Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free and Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes. Testing also found contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, though with a different strain of the bacteria linked to the outbreak. While the warning only relates to the wipes listed, officials have reminded the public that non-sterile alcohol-free wipes should not be used for the treatment of wounds. Dr James Elston, consultant in epidemiology at the UKHSA said: 'While the overall risk to the public remains very low, a number of non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products have been linked to an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis. 'It is important these types of wipes are not used for the treatment of injuries, wounds, or broken skin, and that they are not used to clean intravenous lines. 'When treating cuts and grazes, it is important to follow NHS advice.' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, added: 'We consider wipes which are intended for a medical purpose to be medicines. These products do not have a medicines authorisation, and we are taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation governed by MHRA. 'If you have these wipes at home or in a first aid kit, please check the label and only use wipes marked as 'sterile' on broken skin.'
Rhyl Journal
6 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Infections linked to wipes which may have been used to clean cuts
Certain products should be binned to avoid contamination, officials said. It comes after an outbreak of a bacteria, burkholderia stabilis (B. stabilis). There have been 51 confirmed cases of B. stabilis between 2018 and 2025, with 'some serious infections which have required hospital treatment', the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Health chiefs said the outbreak is 'suspected to be associated with some non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products'. UKHSA and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are advising people to stop using the products, which they may find in their at-home first aid kit, and to put them in the bin. This includes: ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes; Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free and Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes. Testing also found contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, though with a different strain of the bacteria linked to the outbreak. While the warning only relates to the wipes listed, officials have reminded the public that non-sterile alcohol-free wipes should not be used for the treatment of wounds. Dr James Elston, consultant in epidemiology at the UKHSA said: 'While the overall risk to the public remains very low, a number of non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products have been linked to an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis. 'It is important these types of wipes are not used for the treatment of injuries, wounds, or broken skin, and that they are not used to clean intravenous lines. 'When treating cuts and grazes, it is important to follow NHS advice.' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, added: 'We consider wipes which are intended for a medical purpose to be medicines. These products do not have a medicines authorisation, and we are taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation governed by MHRA. 'If you have these wipes at home or in a first aid kit, please check the label and only use wipes marked as 'sterile' on broken skin.'
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Warning over skin cleansing wipes not marked as ‘sterile' after three brands spark outbreak of life-threatening bacteria
What to do if you have the wipes at home - and warning signs of an infection HIGH ALERT Warning over skin cleansing wipes not marked as 'sterile' after three brands spark outbreak of life-threatening bacteria Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HEALTH chiefs are warning Brits to urgently dispose of three types of skin cleansing wipes after they were linked to outbreaks of life-threatening bacteria. An investigation by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found three brands of non-sterile wipes to be contaminated with Burkholderia stabilis bacteria. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Wet wipes included in first aid kits may be contaminated with bacteria, health chiefs warned Credit: Getty Fifty-one people were confirmed to have been affected by the outbreak in the UK between 2018 and 2025. Though it hasn't caused any deaths, "there have been some serious infections which have required hospital treatment", the UKHSA said. Officials now suspect the cases were linked to specific skin wipe brands. UKHSA advised people who've bought affected wipes for 'skin cleansing' and wound cleaning purposes to stop using them and bin them immediately to avoid contamination. Bacteria was found in the following products: ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes The wipes are alcohol-free and not marked as 'sterile' - meaning they aren't completely free of germs. Testing also revealed contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, although not with the Burkholderia strain linked to the outbreak. Packs of the wipes have been pulled from shelves and are no longer for sale. The UKHSA also issued a safety alert to health professionals about recent infections potentially being linked to contaminated wipes to help keep patients safe. But UKHSA warned that wipes may also have been included in first aid kits. It urged customers to look through first aid kits and check packs they already have in their homes. Burkholderia stabilis is a bacteria found in natural environments and rarely causes infection in healthy people. The bug poses only a low risk to the general population, the UKHSA said. 3 ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes were included in alert Credit: ValueAid 3 As were Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes Credit: Steroplast But people with weakened immune systems and cystic fibrosis, or those who use intravenous lines at home, are at higher risk of infection. Dr James Elston, consultant in epidemiology and public health at UKHSA, said: "While the overall risk to the public remains very low, a number of non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products have been linked to an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis. "It is important these types of wipes are not used for the treatment of injuries, wounds, or broken skin, and that they are not used to clean intravenous lines." If you have used non-sterile wipes, you don't have to get medical help unless you have symptoms of: A wound infection, which can include redness, swelling, increased pain, warmth around the wound and pus An intravenous line infection, which can include signs such as redness, swelling, or pain around the insertion site and or fever and chills The health watchdog stressed that other non-sterile, alcohol-free wipes not included in the alert shouldn't be used for treating injuries, wounds or on broken skin anyway, as "their safety cannot be guaranteed". How to clean wounds, cuts and grazes You can treat a cut or graze yourself by stopping any bleeding, cleaning the wound, and covering it with a plaster or dressing. This will help stop it getting infected. What to do if the wound is bleeding a lot Check the wound and make sure there's nothing stuck in it. If there's nothing in the wound, put pressure on it using a bandage or a clean, folded cloth (such as a tea towel) for 10 minutes. If there's something stuck in the wound, do not try to take it out. Make sure not to press down on the object. Press firmly either side of it to push the edges of the wound together. If the wound is on your hand or arm, raise it above your head. If the wound is on your lower limb, lie down and raise it above the level of your heart. This will help reduce the blood flow. When the bleeding has stopped, firmly wrap a new bandage over the first cloth or bandage. If the wound keeps bleeding, leave the first bandage in place and add another one. Keep pressing firmly on the wound for another 10 minutes. How to clean and dress a cut or graze If the bleeding has stopped, you can clean a small wound and then put a plaster or dressing over it. Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them. Put on disposable gloves if you have some. Clean the wound by rinsing it with bottled or tap water, or by using sterile wipes. Clean the skin around the wound using soap and water or antiseptic – but try not to get antiseptic into the wound. Pat the area dry using a gauze swab or a clean tea towel. Put on a sterile dressing or a plaster. Keep the dressing clean by changing it as often as you need. You can take it off after a few days, once the wound has closed. Source: NHS Dr Alison Cave, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) chief safety officer, said: "We consider wipes which are intended for a medical purpose to be medicines. "These products do not have a medicines authorisation. "Anyone who has used alcohol-free wipes and has concerns about potential infection is advised to speak with a healthcare professional." UKHSA stressed that you should only use wipes marked as 'sterile' on broken skin such as wounds, scratches, or where you can see blood, to reduce the chances of germ entering the body and causing infections You should also check that your first aid kit contains wipes marked as 'sterile', disposing of any wipes with damaged packaging or past their expiry date.
