Safe syringes could avert 1.3 million deaths a year: WHO

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Reuters

GENEVA (Reuters) - Safer syringes could avert 1.3 million deaths a year, especially in poorer countries where 40 percent of all injections involve unsterilized reused needles, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the U.N. agency linked 33 percent of new hepatitis B infections and 2 million new cases of hepatitis C each year to unsafe injections and needle-stick injuries by health workers.

Some 5 percent of new HIV cases worldwide come from unsafe injections in medical settings, the WHO said, estimating that 6 billion injections are given with unsafe needles each year.

Many countries cannot afford to use syringes with safety features, which cost about 15 U.S. cents each compared to 3 cents for less sophisticated needles.

Howard Zucker, the WHO's assistant director-general for health technology and pharmaceuticals, said public health experts and donor governments would seek to encourage more procurement of safer syringes by poorer countries during a three-day conference in Geneva that opened on Tuesday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071023/ts_nm/injections_dc

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. What is wrong with using a jet injector?

Wikipedia article for jet injector.

[MADem]

2. Nothing. The issue is PRICE. nt

[Cobalt Violet]

3. They have spread infection.