Viruses survive in fresh water by �hitchhiking� on plastic: Study

10pointer01 Jul, 2022Education

10POINTER-As per a recent research, dangerous viruses can remain infectious for up to three days in fresh water by hitchhiking on plastic. Key-findings This is the first research into how viruses behave in the environment. Enteric viruses that cause diarrhoea and stomach upsets, such as rotavirus, were found to survive in water by attaching to microplastics, tiny particles less than 5mm long. They remain infectious, University of Stirling researchers found, posing a potential health risk.