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Recycling of Injection Equipment in Pakistan

Mujeeb, Syed Abdul ; Adil, Malik Mohummad ; Altaf, Arshad ; Hutin, Yvan ; Luby, Stephen

In: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2003, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 145-146

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    Title
    • Recycling of Injection Equipment in Pakistan
    Author
    • Mujeeb, Syed Abdul. Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center, Karachi, Pakistan
    • Adil, Malik Mohummad. Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center, Karachi, Pakistan
    • Altaf, Arshad. Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
    • Hutin, Yvan. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
    • Luby, Stephen. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2003, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 145-146. Cambridge University Press
    Other Version
    Classification
    • Health
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:299850
    Summary
    The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is high in the general population in Pakistan, ranging from 2% to 6%. Reuse of injection equipment in the absence of sterilization is common, particularly in healthcare facilities that serve low-income populations. Studies have identified unsafe injection practices as a major route of transmission of HCV in Pakistan. Changing the behavior of injection providers so that they would use new freshly opened disposable syringes would improve injection safety in Pakistan. However, frequent reports of recycling of injection equipment in the local media question the safety of apparently new syringes. Clinical laboratories are one of the major sources of production of used syringes. To evaluate the resale of used syringes, we followed the course of used syringes from their initial use to their final destination