Bacteria and virus are both microorganism cause infectious disease, but the features are different.

Bacteria are small living things, if nutrition as diet and constant environment are satisfied they increase by replicating cells same as original. Escherichia coli, salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus are well-known.

On the other hand, virus is much smaller than bacteria, the size is about 1/50 of bacteria. Virus are not living things, but they are particles consisting of gene and shell protein covering the gene. Because of not having cells they cannot increase by themselves, but can increase by parasitic on other living cells. Viral cold, influenza virus, corona virus and norovirus are well-known. Influenza virus and norovirus are different type, influenza virus can be broken by alcohol or soap, but for norovirus need antiseptic solution such as sodium hypochlorite.

Summer of 2008, International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses decided the name ‘norovirus’ as official name and used as unified around the world, interest in food poisoning especially norovirus got higher since then.
In fact, we got a lot of inquiries that “will it cause a problem to wipe hospital handrail by sodium hypochlorite?” Based on these needs, NAKA Corporation started to develop handrail with anti-viral function.
Handrail already had anti-bacterial function of the times, but had no effect on virus so that another research was needed for anti-viral. Developers say that, “Agent mixed into resin which is material of handrail is completely differ from anti-bacterial one. We need to verify from various angles that what should do to having high effect of anti-viral by observing an affinity with resin, discoloration and persistence of handrail, cost-performance, etc.”

After several years of research and development, we released anti-viral resin handrail in august, 2016. The feature is that it effects to not only influenza virus but also norovirus and starts to effect over time when virus adhere to handrail, over 99% of anti-viral effect in 8 hours. This effect was proven by researching at anti-viral specialized agency.
This mechanism of the anti-viral performance is that reacts to virus attached to handrail surface and suppress the propagation and decrease the number. At this time, if the handrail surface is dirty, the effect cannot be performed sufficient. So that daily care is very important. Rub with a dry cloth in basically, and if it has a serious dirt, immerse a cloth into neutral detergent solution with a concentration of 1~2%, squeeze a tightly and lightly wipe off it.

Installing at Tokyo metropolitan government building, medical institutions, facilities for the elderly, public facilities many people use or transportation facilities are advancing.
Of course, viral infection risk will not be gone completely. Although, if a person touches handrail by hand adhering virus, another person uses the handrail, and then he take a meal with not washing hands… If the handrail has anti-viral function, viral infection may be prevented.
Not only the handrail that people’s hands touch. To apply into various fields, we are making and selling the anti-viral agent.