Microbes on mobile phones an ‘invisible biosecurity threat’
Mobile phones present an invisible biosecurity threat, experts told a conference in Dubai.
A preliminary Australian study, done in partnership with Dubai Police, found more than 1,000 microbes on only 16 mobile phones, including 814 bacteria, 203 viruses, eight protozoa and 67 fungi.
“Now you are going to ask me the question: don’t we have a biosecurity issue here?” said Lotti Tajouri, an associate professor of biomedical sciences at Bond University in Australia, who led the study.
“We have a biosecurity issue. Next year we have the world expo. We are expecting millions of visitors and they’re coming with their mobile phones. Are we not afraid?”
Dr Tajouri was speaking at the UAE Biosecurity Conference in Dubai on Monday.
Using DNA analysis, the study identified pathogens from 16 mobile phones owned by medical professionals at a Queensland hospital.
In its second phase, the study will be expanded to at least 40 mobiles.
Dubai Police plan to replicate the study at healthcare centres in Dubai to minimise biosecurity threats before and during Expo 2020 Dubai, said Maj Dr Rashed Al Ghafri, chairman of Dubai Police Scientists Council.
“We are looking at some relevant entities like Dubai Airport as well to see how we can expand it to have a wide image of the variety of pathogens,” he said. “We’re trying to foresee what can happen in the future.”
Most organisms on phones are harmless but this small sample still had six of the 10 known superbugs – strains resistant to antibiotic drugs.
International studies support the findings.
A 2012 study by the University of Arizona found mobile phones had 10 times more bacteria than toilet seats.
People check their smartphone an average of 47 times a day, according to a 2017 study by the professional services company Deloitte. For young people, between 18 and 24, this number jumps to 86 times a day.
A phone is also the perfect environment for these organisms – it is a moist and warm breeding ground for microbes.
The study is one example of how authorities will prepare for biosecurity before Expo 2020, Dr Tajouri said.
“Just imagine those other platforms that are unnoticed.
“I just want you to think outside of the box,” he said.
National biosecurity strategies must anticipate pathogens that do not yet exist, said Dr Farida Al Hosani, the manager of the Communicable Diseases Department at Health Authority Abu Dhabi.
“Most of our strategies are designed to deal with known diseases, diseases that already have a treatment,” said Dr Al Hosani.
“But when it comes to emerging infections, it’s a changing risk.”
Dubai could take inspiration from Japan’s Narita Airport, which introduced a toilet roll that sterilises mobile phones, so passengers can wipe off their mobile devices when they visit the bathroom.
There are other simple solutions. For starters, keep your phone out of the bathroom. Two thirds of phones examined are covered in faecal matter, according to Dr Tajouri. It might not be your own, either.
With every flush of the toilet, tiny particles of toilet water, and everything in it, fly through the air.
Wiping your phone with a microfibre cloth removes many germs. Better still is to use a soft cloth dabbed with water and rubbing alcohol.
The best solution is the easiest: wash your hands.
Simple habits can go a long way to stop the transmission of illness, Dr Al Hosani said.
“Shaking hands can transmit a lot of infections,” she said.
“It’s important to start with the basic things.”