Kenyans should be a worried lot if a recent study by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and researchers from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is anything to go by.
Apparently there are more germs on a coin than a toilet seat.
The Sh20 coin and the Sh50 note are the most contaminated denominations in the country and have various disease-causing organisms due to their wide circulation.
The most common bacteria found on the two was Staphylococcus which can cause skin, heart and bone infections, food poisoning, pneumonia and toxic shock in humans.
Some denominations also tested positive for E coli which can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and sometimes vomiting.
The samples were collected from food handlers in 15 different outlets in Nairobi and the least contamination was in Sh1 and Sh5 coins and the Sh1000 notes.
Back in 2009, a similar study by KEMRI revealed that coins from butchers and roadside maize sellers were the most contaminated and had agents from fecal matter.
It was concluded that some of the food handlers either never used tissue paper when they visit the washroom or they do not use it the correct way.
A separate study by chemists Mass Spec Analytical found traces of various drugs on banknotes within weeks of entering circulation, with a staggering 99% in London testing positive for cocaine.
In a 2017 study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers swabbed $1 bills from a bank in New York City to see what was living on paper currency. They found hundreds of species of microorganisms.
The most abundant were ones that cause acne, as well as plenty of harmless skin bacteria. They also identified vaginal bacteria, microbes from mouths, DNA from pets and viruses.