Injection as the new HIV infection source

A significant  number of people are getting HIV infections from contaminated medical injectant , according to a new insight into the Kenya Tending Indicator View . In a rare public admission, a report for the May consequence of the Journal of Acquired Immune Lack Syndromes says a number of new HIV infections in Kenya are from injections either self-administered or from health deftness and traditional healers. “In 2008, it was estimated that 2.2 per cent of new HIV infections in Kenya were a result of unsafe injections received in health facility ,” says the special accessory of the detailed analysis of the Kenya Aids Indicator View , 2012. Since then, the report says, more people, including those who are HIV-positive, are receiving injections in all types of health facilities, creating serious problems of header for the medical system of rules . An initiative of the Kenya Government and US agencies, this particular bailiwick was led by Dr Daniel Kimani of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, supported by a team from the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Laboratory Services.

The study, carried out from October 2012 to February last year, says the problem is pegged on several factors such as a love among Kenyans for the needle against a pill, poor disposal of used medical waste and a high number of injections for people who are also HIV positive. The other problem is the possible reuse of needles by medical workers and especially traditional practitioners. A total of 13,720 adults and adolescents aged 15–64 participated in the survey and one out of 15 reported having seen a used syringe or needle near their home or in their community in the past 12 months. The authors demonstrate a high possibility that such a needle or syringe could be contaminated with the Aids-causing virus. They confirmed that more people who were injected in the last 12 months leading to the study period were more likely to have been HIV positive compared to people who never received an injection in the same period. This follows the logic that most people with HIV are more likely to have more health problems than others and consequently most likely to visit a hospital. “At the same time high HIV prevalence was noted among persons who had received injections from traditional practitioners,” reveals the report. Apart from the danger of the reuse of such an injection, the study concludes there is a real risk of poor disposal of needles particularly in urban estates. “This has led to increases in risk of injury to community members, especially children and domestic waste handlers.”