Johannesburg-based biological technology (biotech) and disinfectants company Biodx CEO Burt Rodrigues says that while the Covid-19 pandemic will change the world in the short and long term, a refocus to natural products may play a key role in tackling current and future outbreaks.

Rodrigues says more emphasis is needed on the development and adoption of natural disinfecting products' antimicrobial properties, that will "not harm what nature has provided”.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world, and not only in the short term, he says, adding that, internationally, everyone has to rethink their approaches to health, hygiene and safety. “Once lockdown measures come to an end, we will be living in an entirely different place.”

Although he says “this may be the end of the world as we know it”, Rodrigues also points out that there are many positives that can be taken from the situation. “Working with one another and with nature, we can emerge from this with a more socially minded and healthier society.”

In this regard, he highlights that earth provides a wealth of natural resources that people can adapt to their advantage. “We can use them to combat diseases and viruses in the long term with forward-thinking being human’s “closest ally” in the future.

“The fact is that many harsh chemicals are not only terrible for the environment but also humans, compromising our immune systems.”

As a natural product development company, Biodx is underpinned by 15 years of research and development. One such development in biotech is the company’s use of lemons to produce a raw material for a disinfectant which kills 99.999% of all bacteria species, while remaining earth-friendly, states Rodrigues.

This product development has resulted in Biodx being “on the verge” of receiving European registration for the active ingredient, “the first South African company in this field to do so”, he enthuses.

THE UNEXPECTED VIRUS

Looking at health scares in South Africa and around the world in the recent past, Rodrigues says these have mostly been bacterial. “Just recently we had Listeriosis, and before that, we had avian flu, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and other outbreaks which we have been prepared for.”

He explains that the average healthy person can relatively easily recover from a bacterial infection, even after being hospitalised.

Covid-19, however, presents far greater challenges, with everyone having to adjust their way of thinking, as “we are not dealing with bacteria, but a virus which behaves in a very different fashion to anything we have seen before”.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a prime example of the requirement to have the latest technology on hand to deal with modern and unprecedented problems. “When new bacteria or viruses appear, it is always in a superior form, so you cannot use old technology to deal with a superior challenge. It comes down to the efficacy of new chemical compounds, not the application,” says Rodrigues.

Resources are critical, he highlights, noting that Biodx has always been prepared to go on-site should an outbreak of the highly contagious Legionella disease occur within the water system.

Rodrigues says that, in the case of dealing with Covid-19, these planned protocols would need minor adjustments if Biodx is required to disinfect something like a hospital. “This is within our capability, particularly as we have all the necessary personal protective equipment as part of our standard operating procedures.”

In this situation, Biodx would not need to adjust its product, its application or the technology’s capacity, but instead its staff's mentality with it not being a bacteria that is being addressed, but rather a virus which behaves in a very different fashion.

“We would have to factor in the mental shift where human behaviour has adapted to the contaminated environment and behave accordingly.”