The AP/Los Angeles Times last week examined recent efforts by infection control advocates to increase awareness of unsafe injection practices that could spread HIV, hepatitis and other bloodborne diseases. According to the AP/Times, health workers typically discard needles after each use but many are not aware of the risks associated with reusing syringes. When a health worker administers an injection to someone who has HIV, hepatitis or another disease, the virus can seep back into the barrel of the syringe. Therefore, even if health workers discard the used needle, they risk transmitting the disease to a future patient if they reuse the same syringe. In addition, the worker could contaminate an entire medicine vial by drawing out medication with a used syringe.

U.S. Army officials last week announced plans to investigate unsafe insulin injection practices that might have placed 2,100 people at risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis, although no cases have been confirmed. In addition, a federal report published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that more than 60,000 people were exposed to hepatitis and that at least 400 people contracted the disease in 33 outbreaks linked to safety violations between 1998 and 2008…