Invisible infection carried by currency notes which is dangerous and spreads fast : Brig. K.G. Behl (Retd.)

Invisible infection carried by currency notes which is dangerous and spreads fast
Brig. K.G. Behl (Retd.)
President, All India Consumers Council, Uttarakhand

As you all know currency notes and coins change hands daily. These hands through which currency passes may not be clean and there is likely hood of these hands carrying some disease which the person
might be having. It can be skin disease any infection or any other undisclosed ailment. As the person handles the currency the germs may stick to that and spread fast to other persons who handles that later.
Some times while counting that currency people use spit from their mouth and in the process take the infection or disease inside their body through mouth. One may not feel so immediately but it has been
observed that those who are involved in counting currency often and use this method become affected by some or the other disease carried by those currency notes. Doctors some time find difficult to diagnose
what infection the individual has got and from where. Such infections are quite common at places which are not so clean or where the places they keep the currency is unhygienic.

Children too use this practice in turning pages or counting them, which is equally dangerous. The point was raised by Capt. (Retd.) S.K. Bhandari, in the monthly meeting of All India Consumers Council and
many other members expressed their concern on the issue, including Mr. A.S. Bhatia, the secretary, Sh. R.M. Sobti, Dr. Jagjit Singh, Mr. G.S. Jassal, Mr. J.S. Punn, Mr. P.N. Bhambhi, Mr. D.K. Shukla and
others.

Since India is a vast country and the currency moves from one place to other too fast, the infection taking place in some parts can be transmitted to other quickly. Many a times it has been observed that a
disease which is spreading in one part of the country gets transmitted to other without notice. This currency plays the role of transmitting diseases from one part to the other. Though it looks a simple affair but unless stopped can cause havocs at times.

It is learnt that in some countries abroad this infection is being prevented by the banks where such currency goes by disinfecting it as and when it comes to them. One may say that all the currency doesn’t
come to banks and most of it changes hand with the vendors and purchasers and it may not be easy to disinfect the whole and remove such diseases but it can be tried and currency can be rotated with the
banks to avoid spreading of such virus. It is learnt that such practice is being carried out in Japan to prevent people from getting such diseases. It would be worthwhile if it is carried out in India
which is prone to spreading of different viruses off and on. Govt. must look into this aspect seriously and public must co-operate to avoid it.