Spread of infection through currency notes and coins

India is a land of diversity with numerous cultural backgrounds and way of life!  One common factor which knows no religion, language or Socio-cultural background and which travels  easily from one hand to another throughout the country is the official currency notes and coins.  While the western world is trying hard to remove currency notes out of circulation or keep it to the bare minimum, India has a totally  different theory & concepts! India  has a parallel Black money running the economy and dodges the government from recovering legitimate revenues  by way of taxes.  In India, rupee notes are freely used for anything from buying basic needs for the household to purchase of fixed assets like land, buildings or anything for that matter!

In a Metro Bus, the conductor gives you a ticket while holding the notes in his mouth and later circulates it back to people through various channels.  This may carry infection that may  harm one's health conditions.
 There is a custom of thrusting some currency notes into the palms of the new born child.  The child not knowing the value attached immediately puts it into the mouth as a natural reaction!  No one knows if the currency notes had any infection on it?

  Similarly, the coins are put on the forehead of the dead and passed on to the family as a token of legacy! 
 The small time shopkeeper counts the notes and frequently wets the tip of his counting fingers with his saliva and this is a common sight that could be seen throughout the country!  Some business men carry wads of notes in their undergarment for the sake of safety and protection from being robbed!  The currency notes get soiled and oiled when they enter the shops of oil merchants who sell edible oils.  The currency notes when traded for petroleum products get a tinge and coat of petroleum products at the hands of the men manning the petrol bunks. The temples, churches, mosques and Gurudwaras gets donations by way of cash which would have exchanged and experienced different hands at different times!
  The saga of this currency travel from one hand to another continues unabated!  What is the way to check spread of infections arising through this circulation of currency notes and coins?  The Government must seriously think about this and do something to avert spread of infection through the circulation of monetary currency.  One way out is to restrict the flow of currency notes for which the government should bring in some other form of acceptance.  Plastic cards in lieu of money is one such replacement which is largely followed all over the world restricting the usage of currency notes amongst the public.  India Government could think of this alternative at least for the sake of health of its people?  The W H O under the auspices of the United Nations will do well to direct countries which uses currency notes to a large extent to phase out and introduce plastic cards in lieu of currency notes so that spread of infection could be curtailed to a great extent.  It will be worthwhile to receive inputs and comments from leading health specialists in this regard for the welfare of human beings at large?