Shoppers are being urged to wash their hands after using banknotes, or opt for contactless payment instead, over fears physical money could carry bacteria and viruses.
The warning comes as the Coronavirus toll reaches 51, with cases confirmed in Greater Manchester, Bury and Bolton.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a World Health Organization spokesperson said: "We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses.
"We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face.
"When possible it would also be advisable to use contactless payments to reduce the risk of transmission."
Scientific research by the London Metropolitan University also found that £5 and £10 polymer notes already in circulation held eight types of bacteria between them when tested.
That included Listeria – which can cause nausea, diarrhoea and even miscarriages – and the antibiotic resistant Enterococcus faecium. Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) was found on the £10 notes during the study, which was conducted in 2018.
An expert from London-based electronic payments provider myPOS , said: "Using a contactless card to make transactions is so much safer than handling notes and coins which can hold life-threatening bugs.
"With each note and coin likely to have been touched by thousands of people, you can only imagine how much bacteria they are exposed to – whereas a debit or credit card is easy to keep clean."
They continued: "We are fast becoming a cashless society, so much so it’s now less convenient to get cash out of an ATM rather than make a card payment.
"And, looking at the scientific evidence, people who use card payments instead could be saving themselves from a number of health risks."
