Disease With Postage Stamps ?

I wondered whether known or possible infection disease through postage stamps? Interesting topic about which I know nothing. Are you concerned for your health and whether or not reasonably protect?
Sorting old postage stamps from the "exotic" and less "exotic" countries, I wondered who was once upon a time licked and touched the stamp.

I only collect pre-1900 for most countries, so the infectious disease would have to be active for over 100 years, so No, I take no precautions and have no fears. Now, if I collected current Liberian stamps and I just received one that was dripping with still wet saliva....I would have second thoughts. John

I collect postal stationery, and often see water damaged material with black mold still attached. Haven't died yet. Don't worry about it, there are more important things to worry about.

I highly doubt it. I've worked on archaeological excavations of human burials from a potter's field in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was the burial place of the poor and wretched and those from insane asylums, orphans, prisons, poorhouses and the like. Many of the burials also came from places like the smallpox hospital and many others had died from typhoid, TB, yellow fever and a whole host of other viral and bacterial diseases from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the 80+ archaeologists working in wet muddy conditions and over 4,000 bodies removed, not one of us picked up any diseases. Your stamps are safe.

I have to agree with the above. My ol' Dad used to say, you gotta eat a peck o' dirt before you die.
And, no, I'm not suggesting you eat your stamps.

I sure like all the comments here! And James W. got a nice chuckle out of me!

From time to time, I've thought the same thing, The Pope. I agree with all the responses here, however, don't viruses lay dormant for an indeterminate amount of time, just waiting to lite on a nice warm, moist host to spring to life again?

It depends. A lot of viruses "die" without a host within minutes to days. Some biologists don't even consider them alive outside a host. Others can be kept stable for a long time, but requires certain conditions like extreme cold, has to be dry, etc. Some bacteria are very hardy, but again conditions have to be just right for them to survive long periods of time in a dormant state. Stamps are not usually kept at conditions to preserve bacteria or viruses unless one keep their rarities in vials in a deep freezer, frozen wooly mammoth or the vacuum of space.

This has been discussed before on this forum. Checkout this previous thread:

https://goscf.com/t/24264

More here:

http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/muse...Machine.html

If diseases were transmitted on paper we'd all be sick (or dead). Every currency bill is used hundreds of times before it falls apart.

George Costanza's wife died from licking a postage stamp on Seinfeld.

It was the envelopes. George's fiancee Susan licked many,many wedding envelopes and died from the toxic glue. George, of course, bought the cheapest envelopes he could find.

Bacteria and viruses not so much. It would be a fairly large amount of mold spores especially black inhaled that would concern me.

"It was the envelopes. George's finance Susan licked many,many wedding envelopes and died from the toxic glue. George, of course, bought the cheapest envelopes he could find."

And that's how he financed his fiancee???

The comment to which my comment was responding has, quite understandably, been edited.

oops, I edited the word fiancee for accuracy sake.

Following the anthrax "attack" in 2001 in US mail the BBC in the UK instigated checks on all mail arriving. I believe an American company was involved with the checks. This is one of the checked envelopes...