Can currency notes carry and spread novel coronavirus?

Some of the previously conducted studies point at the possibility of currency notes transmitting disease-causing, drug-resistant pathogens.

Washing hands regularly is being pegged as the best bet in the fight against coronavirus. But how can one get rid of the possibility of contracting the virus through articles that come in our contact daily - such as currency notes?

Another study, which examined 96 notes and 48 coins of various denominations, had found that almost all samples harboured bacteria, fungus and parasites.

Can currency notes cause coronavirus to spread? Some of the previously conducted studies point at the possibility of currency notes transmitting disease-causing, drug-resistant pathogens.

A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Current Engineering and Scientific Research found that all currency notes of denominations 100, 50, 20 and 10 collected from various sources in Buldana, Maharashtra were contaminated with Escherichia Coli, Salmonella Typhi and two other pathogens.

Another study, which examined 96 notes and 48 coins of various denominations, had found that almost all samples harboured bacteria, fungus and parasites. The study appeared in the Indian Journal of Medicine and Public Health in the year 2015 and was conducted by departments of microbiology and pulmonary medicine at King George’s Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

A 2014 study by researchers at New York University identified 3,000 types of bacteria on dollar bills due to how widely and frequently they change hands.

While a more recent and thorough investigation into the role of currency notes in spreading coronavirus is called for, global bodies have already begun to take precautionary measures.

Just a couple of days ago, news agency Reuters reported that the US Federal Reserve has begun quarantining physical dollars that it repatriates from Asia before recirculating them in the US financial system as a precautionary measure against spreading the virus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it “may be possible” to transmit the virus through objects that have had direct contact with it, but person-to-person contact is the main means of spreading the disease.

The World Health Organization, however, has been much more cautious on risks posed by currency notes, advising consumers to use contactless payments whenever possible, according to several British media reports.

In such a scenario, sanitising your hands after handling currency notes may still be the best bet, especially before consuming food.

(With inputs from Reuters)