SIMULTANEOUS HANDLING OF FOOD AND MONEY THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS
The possibility that currency notes might act as window for the transmission of potential hazard pathogenic micro-organism was coined in 1970s by Abrams and Waterman, 1972. Unarguably paper money is generally exchanged for goods and services in countries all over the globe. It is used for every type of day-to-day commerce, ranging from buying and selling milk at the local stores down to trafficking in sex or drugs. The headache is common with lower denomination notes at the receiving end because they are exchanged many times. Although paper money is fabricated to face abuse in most part of the world, including Nigeria. The constituents of paper money like cotton and linen are good sources of pathogens and growth and performance.
Money on which this monster might dwell represents an estimated reservoir for enteric and endermic disease
In nigeria there is a common belief that the simultaneous handling of money and Food could be the cause of sporadic food borne ailments reports which have agglomerated from the microbial profile and survival index of pathogens on Coins and Currency notes in Turkey and USA. Thefore the chances of currency contamination with dreaded microbes has been implicated among Food Handlers. A survey that stimulate the public awareness on the dangers associated with simultaneous handling of Money and Food in Food industries, Eatries and Local vendors..
In Nigeria street foods are often associated with diarrheal disease as a result of their food-money-handling altitude. In some if not all cases, running water is not present at the service center or site. Hand and Dish washing is done in one or more buckets and most times without soups or detergent. Scientific study on the contamination of money by micro-organism is inexplicit or lacking in most developing countries In Africa including Nigeria. Unfortunately, this lack of information may have contributed to total absence or disappearance of public health policies on currency handling in many parts of Africa.
© SAGEM 2018
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