en تخصصي Special مقاله اصیل Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, spreads through both direct and indirect pathways. Among the latter, surface contamination is a significant concern due to the virus&rsquo;s prolonged viability on surfaces. There is ongoing discussion over the impact of environmental surface contamination, especially in light of the introduction of novel viral types. The present study aimed to examine the extent of environmental surface contamination across different hospital wards and evaluate the effectiveness of disinfectants in inactivating the virus.<br> Methods: The samples were collected from critical areas in a hospital, both pre-disinfection (n = 40) and post-disinfection (n = 17), using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect SARS-CoV-2.<br> Results: The findings indisputably confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on swab samples from frequently-touched surfaces. Notably, 10 samples were virus-positive before disinfection, highlighting persistent viral contamination in vital hospital zones.<br> Conclusion: This study underscores the critical role of environmental surface contamination in SARSCoV-2 transmission, particularly in healthcare settings. Detecting the virus on frequently-handled surfaces underscores the urgent need for rigorous and frequent surface disinfection. Effective surface disinfection remains a rapid, straightforward, and practical strategy to mitigate virus transmission to healthcare workers and patients. These findings hold significant implications for infection control, particularly amid emerging virus variants. They emphasize the need to maintain stringent hygiene and disinfection practices within healthcare facilities to combat the spread of COVID-19.</div> SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Disinfection, Virus inactivation, Humans 265 271 http://ehemj.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-354&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Nastaran Talepour talepour.nastaran@gmail.com 100319475328460016107 100319475328460016107 No Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Yalda Hashempour YaldaHashempour1@gmail.com 100319475328460016108 100319475328460016108 No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran Niloofar Neisi NiloofarNeisi1@gmail.com 100319475328460016109 100319475328460016109 No Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Mana Ghanbari mana.ghanbari.95@gmail.com 100319475328460016110 0009-0005-3921-5302 No Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Amir Zahedi AmirZahedi1@gmail.com 100319475328460016111 100319475328460016111 No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran Zeinab Ghaedrahmat ZeinabGhaedrahmat1@gmail.com 100319475328460016112 100319475328460016112 No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran Manoochehr Makvandi ManoochehrMakvandi1@gmail.com 100319475328460016113 100319475328460016113 No Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Shahram Jalilian ShahramJalilian1@gmail.com 100319475328460016114 100319475328460016114 No Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Amir Danyaei AmirDanyaei1@gmail.com 100319475328460016115 100319475328460016115 No Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine Cellular and Molecular Research Center Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Nematollah Jaafarzadeh jaafarzadeh-n@ajums.ac.ir 100319475328460016116 100319475328460016116 Yes Corresponding author: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Abdollah Dargahi a.dargahi29@yahoo.com 100319475328460016117 100319475328460016117 No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran