EPA Extends Emerging Viral Pathogen Guidance For The Mpox Virus

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended its Emerging Viral Pathogen (EVP) Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides (Guidance) in response to the mpox virus (formerly monkeypox), which had been considered to be a rare disease caused by infection with the mpox virus.

EPA developed its Guidance in 2016 to address emerging pathogens. Under this Guidance, EPA provides pesticide registrants with a voluntary “two-stage process to enable use of certain EPA-registered disinfectant products against emerging viral pathogens not identified on the product label.” These pathogens may not be identified on a label because the occurrence of EVPs is less common and predictable than that of established pathogens and because the pathogens are often unavailable commercially and standard methods for laboratory testing may not exist. EPA’s intent is for the Guidance to “expedite the process for registrants to provide useful information to the public” regarding products that may be effective against EVPs associated with certain human or animal disease outbreaks. Registrants with a pre-qualified EVP designation can include an efficacy statement in technical literature distributed to health care facilities, physicians, nurses, public health officials, non-label-related websites, consumer information services, and social media sites.

Mpox is an enveloped virus, meaning it is one of the easiest to kill with the appropriate disinfectant product. EPA provides the searchable List Q: Disinfectants for Emerging Viral Pathogens (EVPs). Mpox virus is a Tier I (enveloped virus); thus, when disinfectants damage their lipid envelope, the virus is no longer infectious. EPA’s List Q currently has 553 disinfectant products for use on Tier 1 viruses.

EPA initially activated the EVP Policy for the mpox virus in August 2024. The EVP Policy for the mpox virus now expires in August 2028.

Information on the mpox virus is available on CDC’s website.