WHY SHOULD WE WASH OUR HANDS AFTER USING A CURRENCY NOTE?

“BREAK THE CHAIN. AVOID THE PAIN”. Social Distancing will reduce the transmission of COVID-19 virus. Stay indoors and help the nation stay healthier.  

There are several circumstances which we come across in our daily life which ultimately leads to washing our hands. After playing, before and after eating, after coughing or sneezing etc. are a few circumstances when we wash our hand. We also wash our hands when we accidentally touch ‘filthy’ materials. But here is the ‘costliest filthy material’ which we deal in our daily lives yet ignore them,  the “CURRENCY NOTES”. 

Normally everyone will deal with currency notes for leading their daily routine which includes shopping, paying bills etc. But only a few people are aware of the germs present in the currency notes while most of them are still unaware of it. This post will give a detailed outlook of the germs present in a currency note and it will suggest the proper measures to be followed after handling them.

Currency notes contain a lot more microbes than you expect

The flow of the currency note is unpredictable i.e. we cannot find the places where a currency note has travelled before it reached us and also about the hands that used it. According to a study, there are at least 3000 different microbes present in a currency note. The most common pathogens associated with currency notes are mentioned below.

Staphylococcus aureus

This kind of bacteria is generally found in the nasal passages and on the top layer of our skin.  It is the primary microbe which causes pimples, acne and other mild skin infections. But in higher concentration it will lead to life-threatening diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis etc. 

Bacillus cereus

 It is mostly found in soil. This will cause food borne diseases and will lead to diarrhoea, cramps and sometimes nausea. B. cereus may also cause vision-threatening infections if it infects the inner eye. 

Helicobacter pylori 

They are normally present in digestive tracks. It may also lead to peptic ulcer, gastritis etc. In case of any infection, it may also lead to stomach cancer. 

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

It is the leading causative agent of diphtheria. Diphtheria causes thick covering in the back of throat and can lead to breathing problem, paralysis etc.

Fungi 

The diseases caused by a fungus depends on the type of fungi and the infected organ. Normally they are responsible for several skin-related diseases.

OTHER MICROBES

Several oral microbes are also present in a currency note as most people have a habit of licking their fingers while counting the currency notes. Nearly 78 antibiotic-resistant microbial genes were found in a currency note. 

EFFECTS

Since a currency note is made of cotton, the microbes stay in-between the pores and they rarely get attached to a person’s finger. This is the reason for its low efficiency in transmitting microbes. Also, human body has a greater immunological defence mechanism which prevents these microbes. The increased online payment modes reduced the circulation frequency of currency notes. But people with low immunity (such as person having AIDS) are more prone to all the above-mentioned diseases.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Washing hands whenever we deal with currency notes is the best way to stop the microbes from getting into our body. Using alcohol-based sanitizer will be more effective in washing hands.