Injection safety
According to the World Health Organization, 16 billion injections are given each year in developing countries, and the risk of unsafe injections is a serious concern. Reuse of needles can cause the spread of life-threatening disease. For example, cases of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV caused by unsafe injections accounted for 30, 41, and 5 percent of new infections in 2000, respectively. However, single-use syringes, which range in cost between US$0.03 and $0.06 per syringe, could lower the risk of receiving an unsafe injection. In addition, other issues such as waste disposal and improper administration of vaccines are important problems related to injection safety.
PATH has developed technologies for safe needle disposal and worked with countries to get the supplies they need to make injections safe. Visit PATH's website to learn more about PATH's work in ensuring safe injections worldwide.
View resources on injection safety
Key resources
Logistics of Health Care Waste Management: Information and Approaches for Developing Country Settings (2009)
A report that gives
information on the safe disposal of needles and the proper use of needle removers and sharps containers.
Injection Safety and Technology
A website from the World Health Organization (WHO) with scientific articles, technical tools, policy statements, and more related to injection safety and technology.
The Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN) Alliance
A WHO-coordinated website with resources on injection safety, including fact sheets, meeting reports, and a weekly e-newsletter, for a voluntary coalition of stakeholders aiming to achieve safe and appropriate use of injections worldwide.
Featured PATH resources
Framework for Conducting a Self-Assessment of National Progress in Injection Waste Management, Version 1 (2008)
A
tool that provides a simple, efficient framework for conducting a self-assessment of health care waste-management planning at the national level.
Managing Sharps Waste in Andhra Pradesh (2007)
A report on
the introduction and scale up of a practical system for sharps waste management focused on reducing the number of injections given, needle removal, syringe disinfection, and collection of syringe plastic for recycling.
Page last updated: November 2009.
