In an effort to improve injection safety across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has began a 3-day meeting with experts to explore strategies aimed at promoting the use of safer needles.
The annual meeting of the Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN), taking place at WHO headquarters in Geneva 23-25 October, brings together UN agencies, donors, experts, countries and industry. It will examine how best to encourage countries and procurement agencies to purchase the safest needles, how to encourage manufacturers to lower the price of such products, and how to boost countries' local manufacturing capacity.
WHO estimates that every year, 6 billion injections are given globally with syringes or needles that are reused without sterilization. This represents 40% of all injections given in developing countries; in some countries, the proportion is as high as 70% of injections.
Since 1999, WHO has advised its Member States to use needles with safety features. However, most countries cannot afford these new technologies. Less sophisticated needles cost 3 US cents, compared with 15 US cents for more advanced, safer devices.
"The new technologies should be available to developing countries, where injections are used more and where the risk of infection transmission is greater," said Dr Howard Zucker, Assistant Director-General for Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals at WHO.
According to WHO figures, unsafe injections and needle stick injuries suffered by health-care workers together cause 33% of new Hepatitis B infections and two million new cases of Hepatitis C in the world each year. In addition, unsafe injections in health-care settings account for an estimated 5% of new HIV cases worldwide.
The use of syringes with features that prevent reuse and needle stick injuries would avert about 1.3 million global deaths per year by preventing infections and the epidemics caused by their spread, WHO estimates.
Actions by WHO
To promote the purchase of the safest injection devices by countries and procurement agencies, WHO will continue to provide up-to-date data and guidance to those creating policy and advocacy tools.