NJ nurse does not change syringe after administering flu shot, 70 patients being tested for HIV


NJ nurse does not change syringe after administering flu shot, 70 patients being tested for HIV


Adult-Vaccine


  Dozens of co-workers are being screened for HIV and hepatitis after a nurse was found reusing a syringe to administer flu shots.

Employees at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, who received the vaccination at their offices in Princeton, New Jersey on September 30, have been warned they may have been exposed to ‘infected blood.’

Almost 70 patients have now been called in for testing but face a long, anxious wait as it can be months before serious infections such as HIV show up in blood work.

Healthcare provider TotalWellness confirmed that the nurse contracted to carry out the flu shots had ‘failed to follow proper medical procedures and safeguards.’

Officials have not yet revealed whether disciplinary action will be taken against the nurse.

The New Jersey Department of Health sent out letters to the 67 pharmaceutical co-workers two days after the vaccinations to warn them that the syringe ‘was reused multiple times’, NBC 10 reported.

While the letter said the risk of contamination was low, it urged those affected to seek testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

‘Syringe reuse may have exposed you to infected blood,’ the letter stated. ‘At this time NJDOH is not aware of any disease transmission, but you may be at risk for developing an infection as a result of this improper practice.’

The Department of Health said that the nurse had changed the needle between each injection, but re-used the same syringe each time.

Both the needle and syringe should be only ever be used once and disposed of, added Jill Swanson, West Windsor Health Officer.

Free blood tests are now taking place for the employees at the West Windsor Township Senior Center, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the Health Department and TotalWellness.

Patients must then be re-tested in four to six months before they can be given a clean bill of health.

One Otsuka Pharmaceutical employee told NBC News that having to wait so long for the results was giving her ‘incredible anxiety.’

Officials investigating the incident also found that the nurse also gave less than the recommended dose of flu shot at the Mercer County clinic.

The Department of Health warned that anyone wanting to be protected against flu this winter would need to have another vaccination.

A spokesperson for TotalWellness said the company was ‘dedicated to ensuring all participants receive any and all appropriate screenings, care and counseling until this matter is resolved.’

Otsuka Pharmaceutical were unavailable for comment.

It is not the first time a medical blunder has potentially put lives at risk.

In 2014, more than 4,000 patients were warned they could have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis at a New York hospital after insulin pens used to treat diabetes were reused on more than one person.

South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside on Long Island, near New York City, said 4,200 patients may have received insulin from the pens – not a single-use disposable needle – that could have been used on more than one patient from as far back as 2011.

‘The risk of infection from this is extremely low,’ the hospital said in a statement, adding it was recommending patients ‘be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.’

When asked if anyone was confirmed to have been infected a hospital spokeswoman said ‘not to my knowledge.’

 HIV and hepatitis are spread by sharing bodily fluids such as blood and semen. The most common way HIV is spread in the U.S. is through sex and sharing needles, according to the Aids.gov website.

Hannah Parry

Views: 179

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Unbelievable!

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

rlionhearted_3 posted photos
42 minutes ago
rlionhearted_3 favorited Doc Vega's photo
44 minutes ago
tjdavis posted a video

Alabama’s Biggest Secret - Operation Paperclip 🇺🇸

In the north of Alabama is the city of Huntsville. It's here where German scientists built NASA in secrecy after World War II. Operation Paperclip is still s...
4 hours ago
tjdavis posted a photo
5 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
"Cheeki kea always nice to her you chime in and you're damn right! "
20 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
"Les Prone thanks for your support Dude! "
20 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
20 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a photo

The inconvenient truth

Trump spells it out!
yesterday
Sandy posted a photo
yesterday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post What Made the Founding Fathers of America so Brilliant?
yesterday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Motives of Joe, to shit in the well by showing totally irrelevant proof?"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Less, Motives of Wyatt or Joe? What archeologist wouldn't want proof of Jesus as part of his…"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Less Prone, Considering Joe Rogan to be the gatekeeper of anything is just short of ridiculous the…"
yesterday
MAC posted a video

Don't Go To Hong Kong Now (Even on Connecting Flights)

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter coupon code laowhy86 for an extra 3 months free at https://Surfshark.deals/laowhy86Article 23 in Hong Kong is real,...
Tuesday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's video
Thumbnail

Terrorist Attack on Moscow - Ukraine Committing Suicide? | Larry C. Johnson

"...And I guess I'll just park this you tube here also for something to ponder from last year.…"
Tuesday
tjdavis posted photos
Tuesday
Less Prone posted a video

Climate: The Movie (The Cold Truth) NL

Deze nieuwe documentaire van de Britse filmmaker Martin Durkin toont aan dat klimaatalarm een verzonnen doembeeld is zonder enige wetenschappelijke basis. He...
Monday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"It can be true, but why isn't he offering real evidence? What are his motives?"
Monday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
Monday
cheeki kea favorited Less Prone's blog post Going against the stream of lies and death
Monday

© 2024   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted