A child’s toys could pose a risk to their health, increasing the risk of infectious diseases, experts have warned.
Certain viruses, such as influenza, could survive on the surface of toys long enough to result in exposure, new research suggests.
Experts tested how long a virus could survive on pieces of flexible plastic children’s toy, a squeaking frog.
They were able to recover infectious virons – complete particles of the virus – from the toy up to 24 hours after the toy was contaminated, at 60 per cent humidity.
Viruses, such as influenza, can survive on children’s plastic toys for hours – up to at least 24 hours – raising the risk of children becoming infected, experts have warned
When humidity was at 40 per cent, the virus was still present 10 hours after contamination.
Lead author, Dr Richard Bearden II from Georgia State University, said: ‘People don’t really think about getting viruses from inanimate objects.
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‘They think about getting them from other people. Children are vulnerable to contracting infectious diseases because they put their hands and foreign objects in their mouths, and their immune systems aren’t fully developed.’
The findings relate to enveloped viruses – those which have a protective outer layer that may help them survive and infect other cells.
Examples include influenza and Coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory syndrome (MERS).
Researchers said toys are likely an important channel for the transmission of viral diseases among children.
Previous studies have found viral contamination of shared toys in day care centers, doctor’s offices and homes.
The findings relate to enveloped viruses – those which have a protective outer layer that may help them survive and infect other cells. Examples include influenza (pictured) and Coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory syndrome (MERS)
In particular, toys in common play areas in healthcare settings have been implicated as vehicles for outbreaks of viral illness.
However, scientists did not know how long enveloped viruses can survive on inanimate objects.
As a result it was difficult to assess the potential risk of infection and design effective control measures, such as disinfection.
This new piece of research aimed to look at how long it takes for an enveloped virus to become inactive on the surface of a children’s toy at typical indoor temperatures and relative humidity levels.
Researchers used an enveloped bacteriaphage, a virus that infects bacteria, to model survival times in humans.
They placed the virus on the toy, in controlled humidity environments at 22°C, at either 40 per cent or 60 per cent humidity.
Over a 24-hour period, one per cent of the virus remained infectious on the toy at 60 per cent relative humidity, showing a 99 per cent reduction in the number of infectious viruses.
Dr Bearden said: ‘It’s likely the research team could have retrieved infectious virions beyond 24 hours.’
The virus was less stable at 40 per cent relative humidity, which is more common in indoor environments.
In the first two hours, 0.01 per cent of the virus remained, showing a 99.9 per cent reduction in the number of infectious viruses.
Researchers were able to recover 0.0001 percent of the infectious virus at 10 hours.
Experts said the main focus for parents, daycare facilities, doctor’s offices and other places where children share toys to implement some strategy for decontamination to make sure the toys are not a reservoir for disease and infection
Still, if any virus remains, there’s a risk that children could become ill.
Indoor relative humidity can vary based on where a person lives, so it’s important to concentrate on preventing the spread of disease, Dr Bearden said.
‘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,’ he said.
For instance, toys that are shared should be decontaminated often.
Household bleach is among the best cleaning solutions.
Eliminating toys from waiting rooms in healthcare settings is also recommended.
A decontamination plan could also include door handles, elevator buttons and other commonly shared surfaces, Dr Bearden said.
The study is published online in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.