(NaturalPath) It’s not just contact with people that can cause a child (or anyone) to get sick. According to a study out of Georgia State University and published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, certain viruses, such as influenza, could survive on children’s toys long enough to result in exposures, placing children at risk for getting infectious diseases.
Through the study, the researchers looked at how long an enveloped virus could survive on pieces of a flexible plastic children’s toy. They were able to recover infectious virions (complete viral particles) from the toy up to 24 hours after the toy’s contamination at 60 percent relative humidity, and up to 10 hours at 40 percent relative humidity. This means that they can last long enough on surfaces to cause contamination.
“People don’t really think about getting viruses from inanimate objects,” said the lead author. “They think about getting them from other people. Children are vulnerable to contracting infectious disease because they put their hands and foreign objects in their mouths, and their immune systems aren’t fully developed.”
He continued saying, “I think the main focus should be for parents, daycare facilities, doctor’s offices and other places where children share toys to implement some type of strategy for decontamination to make sure those toys aren’t a reservoir for disease.”
The researchers note that shared toys need to be decontaminated often. Some specific surfaces that need special attention include door handles, elevator buttons and other commonly shared surfaces. So consider keeping a disinfectant wipe with you when you go out.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.