# Life of Germs/Viruses on Physical Objects



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

Let's say an infected person has touched or breathed or spit on a physical consumable or non-consumable product that you later purchase and bring home to your residence. For example say a sealed box of cereal, a dollar bill, a closed plastic bottle of water, an open piece of fruit like an apple, a hammer, a magazine, can of soup, a DVD, clothes, etc. How long will their infectious germs stay on the item roughly?


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

It depends on the germ. Your question centers around the life of a germ outside of its host, which in this scenario is a human body. Some germs have a very short life span. For example, HIV can only live outside the body for about 24 hours before it dies and is no longer viable. Other germs have a very long lifespan and can be viable for months or years. Each germ is different and the viability of such germs can be effected by a number of factors including temperature, etc


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Wash your hands when you get home & before you eat, eat at home, & stay away from sick people, you'll be fine. We don't do anything other than that even for our patients with compromised immune systems.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

When Ebola was in the news, reports on the virus surviving outside of the host, say on door knobs was said to be up to 3 weeks. If I remember correctly, even if you freeze the virus for years and then thaw it out it would survive.

BTW a few weeks ago there were some news reports that former Ebola patients that recovered years earlier, had gone back into the hospital and in a few patients still had live Ebola virus's in their eyes.


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## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

Thanks for all the info Had no idea gerns could live that long on an object


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

and of course the stupidity/idiot germ last for generations, unless countered with responsibility and accountability.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

You asked this one already when you first started posting.


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