Health Risk Associated with Handling of Paper Currencies

Abstract

Paper currencies could be one of the most potential vehicles to transmit diseases amongst the people. The daily transactions have made the paper currency to pass through many hands and pathogens become imposed on them before they are finally deposited in banks. Modern scientific studies have confirmed the presence of various pathogenic bacteria on paper currencies. Amongst others, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sps, Citrobacter sps, Mycobacterium leprae, Shigella sps, Streptococcus sps, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella sps and Escherichia coli were the dominant contaminants of paper currency samples. Furthermore, researches have also shown that paper currencies could be contaminated by several fungal pathogens like Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus sps, Penicillium sps, Candida sps, Trichoderma sps, Trichoderma viride, Alternaria tenuis A. paraticus, Sporotrichum sps and Fusarium sps. Besides, several studies revealed that, paper moneys were also contaminated by parasitic species of different helminthes that include parasitic nematodes and tapeworm like Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis, hookworm, Strongyloides stercoralis and Dipylidium caninum. Therefore, paper currency is generally contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and this contamination may play a significant role in the transmission of potentially harmful microorganisms that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics and therefore represents risks and public health hazards to the community and individuals handling paper currencies. So, there needs frequent awareness development efforts to improve the poor hygienic practices being exercised while handling paper currencies.