Can I catch a cold from handling currency?

Question

After touching cash or coins, is it possible to touch germs which will eventually cause a cold or other sickness?

Answer 1

Its very unlikely...;

Answer 2

I worked at a bank for a long time and I did catch colds from touching the money, but only when it had recently been touched by the people with colds. My best suggestion would be to just was your hands after touching it. I don't think the germs will live on it long but they do for a little while.

Answer 3

yes that is possible . if the money was handled by a person who had the cold and caused droplets to get on the bill . then the bill has to be passed to you within a varied amount of time depending on conditions like temp. but 20 min to 1 hour yes .
i don't know of the stats if there are any regarding the spread of a cold virus or any virus from money . but droplets survive most anywhere for a time. you also would need to put your hand to your face soon after handling the money or put your finger in your mouth and so on .if your in wondering about the person who gave you the money thinking they have a virus just wash your hands after you handle the money and before you touch your face

Answer 4

Sure it's possible. People catch colds from germs, not from being cold. If the person sneezing into his hand then touches a dollar note and passes it to you and you touch you nose or mouth area, then I'd say yes you can

Answer 5

You can catch a cold from anyone whose had it. Which means, if someone had a cold and touched your money, then you can definitly get the cold. The best way to protect yourself is wash your hands on the regular. Money is a very dirty thing anyways. It's been in hundreds of peoples hands, and you don't know if has been dropped, sneezed on, or in a strippers butt crack. I swear by purell, whenever I feel uneasy about touching something, I make sure to "purell" myself right after.

Answer 6

It is definitely a possibility. The viruses are transmitted from person to person by droplets from coughs or sneezes. The droplets or droplet nuclei are either inhaled directly, or transmitted from hand to hand via handshakes or objects such as door knobs, and then introduced to the nasal passages when the hand touches the nose or eyes.

The virus takes advantage of sneezes and coughs to infect the next person before it is defeated by the body's immune system. Sneezes expel a significantly larger concentration of virus "cloud" than coughing. The "cloud" is partly invisible and falls at a rate slow enough to last for hours—with part of the droplet nuclei evaporating and leaving much smaller and invisible "droplet nuclei" in the air. Droplets from turbulent sneezing or coughing or hand contact also can last for hours on surfaces, although less virus can be recovered from porous surfaces such as wood or paper towel than non-porous surfaces such as a metal bar. A sufferer is most infectious within the first three days of the illness. Symptoms, however, are not necessary for viral shedding or transmission, as a percentage of asymptomatic subjects exhibit viruses in nasal swabs, likely controlling the virus at concentrations too low for them to have symptoms.

Answer 7

If you lick the money to get it apart you can catch something from the currency because that currency is handled by many people and many people lick money to seperate bills. By fingertips at the office store and wash your hands good and you'll be fine. I've handled money for years but I always took precautions.

Answer 8

I would say yes. Some time back there was some sort of "scientific" study that showed that most currency contained traces of feces and drugs among other things. I would say a cold virus is very likely at least!

Answer 9

Only if someone has just recently sneezed on it or has gotten the cold virus on it, the cold virus can only live for a small amount of time on something non-living before it dies, because it needs something to live off of.

Answer 10

possibly. some are airborne others are contact. if your immune system is low yes. vitamin c helps the immune system to fight off diseases.we are the only creation that does not produce its own vitamin c. i take 8 to 10 thousand milligrams a day no cold, no flu, no pneumoia. 8 years free thank the lord.

Answer 11

About 1 in 293000 chance. Not a cold anyway, more like an infectious disease.