THE flu virus persists so well on banknotes that money could help spread the next pandemic, researchers claim.
Yves Thomas and colleagues at the University Hospitals of Geneva in Switzerland dripped various strains of flu virus onto Swiss banknotes and left them at room temperature for varying amounts of time before testing for live virus.
“We wanted to assess the survival of human flu on banknotes, knowing that billions of them are exchanged daily,” Thomas said.
“I’m surprised the virus persisted so long,” added Graeme Laver, an expert in the spread of bird flu.
Experiments have shown that the virus is transmitted when people with flu touch surfaces that are then touched by other people.
This means that handling money within the lifespan of the virus could pass on the illness.
Copyright 2007 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
Information provided by: Findarticles.com
