Employing the same needle or syringe to give injections to more than one person is one of the principal attributors behind the prevalence of fatal infectious diseases across the world.
Millions of people won’t be vulnerable to suffer from infections acquired through unsafe injections if health-care programs used syringes that cannot be used more than once.
Accordingly, the World Health Organization (WHO) with support from IKEA Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are launching a global campaign to raise global awareness of the hygiene value of ‘smart’ syringes as well as provide support aiming to eliminate the escalating issue of unsafe injections.
“According to 2014 study conducted by WHO, which focused on the most recent available data, estimated that in 2010, up to 1.7 million people were infected with hepatitis B virus, up to 315,000 with hepatitis C virus and as many as 33,800 with HIV through an unsafe injection,” WHO said.
For instance, “a 2007 hepatitis C outbreak in the state of Nevada, United States of America, was attributed to the usages of a single physician who injected an anaesthetic to a patient who had hepatitis C.The doctor then used the same syringe to withdraw additional doses of the anaesthetic from the same vial – which had become contaminated with hepatitis C virus – and gave injections to a number of other patients,” WHO said.
WHO puts a strong emphasis on the importance of reducing the number of unnecessary injections as a crucial way of minimizing risk.
Oral medication could be a good substitution for 90 percent of injections that are given into muscle (intramuscular route) or skin (subcutaneous or intradermal route).
“We know the reasons why this is happening,” says Dr. Edward Kelley, Director of the WHO Service Delivery and Safety Department. One reason is that people in many countries expect to receive injections, believing they represent the most effective treatment. Another is that for many health workers in developing countries, giving injections in private practice supplements salaries that may be inadequate to support their families.”
The new “smart” syringes WHO recommends for injections into the muscle or skin is distinguished with certain characteristics that prevent re-use.
Some models are intentionally designed with a weak spot in the plunger. So, if the user tries to pull back on the plunger, it will get immediately broken.
Others include a metal clip that prevents the plunger from moving backwards, while in others the needle are pulled back automatically in the syringe barrel after being used.
However, new ‘smart’ syringes may pose a financial burden on developing countries as it costs at least twice the normal syringe does. However, WHO is anticipating the prices will drop over time as demand boosts.
According to Kelley, “The new policy and global campaign represent a decisive step in a long-term strategy to improve injection safety by working with countries worldwide. We have already seen considerable progress.”
Between 2000 and 2010, re-use of injection devices in developing countries witnessed a slight drop by 7 percent while the average number of unnecessary injections per person decreased from 3.4 to 2.9.
