Money and Influenza

Posted by Judy Arbique Jul 20, 2007

Most people are quick to accept money handed to them. Generally little thought is given to infectious agents that may be contained on the money.

A group of researchers from the Central Virology Laboratory, University Hospitals of Geneva and the Swiss National Centre for Influenza in Switzerland performed a study to determine the potential for influenza virus transmission through banknotes.

Suspensions of influenza virus were inoculated onto banknotes to determine the length of time that the virus would remain viable and potentially infectious. Influenza virus in nasopharyngeal secretions (snot) from infected individuals was also inoculated on banknotes.

The investigators found that influenza A viruses in respiratory secretions can survive for up to 17 days on banknotes with length of survival dependent on the presence of mucus and the size of the inoculum. Larger inocula containing greater numbers of viral particles survived longer than smaller numbers of viral particles and mucus seemed to provide a protective effect.

It appears that contamination of surfaces such as banknotes could play a potential role in the spread of influenza, especially in a pandemic situation.

I will be a little more diligent about hand-washing after handling money in the future. Perhaps food service workers who prepare or serve food and also handle money should wash their hands immediately after handling money. If the influenza virus survives on banknotes, then it is likely that other viruses may also be spread through money exchange. It would be interesting to see the same type of study performed using Norovirus, a major cause of foodborne illness. Norovirus is easily spread partially due to the small numbers of infectious particles required to cause infection.

Related articles:

Noroviruses: Norwalk and Norwalk-like Viruses

Avian Flu Pandemic: The Potential for Human Illness

Foodborne Illness: Infectious Dose and Attack Rate

Source:

Thomas Y, G Vogel, W Wunderli, C Tapparel, L Kaiser. Survival of Influenza viruses on banknotes. Poster Presentation, American Society of Microbiology 107th Annual General Meeting. Toronto, Ontario. May 2007.