Needlestick Injuries in the United States.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 18, 2011 --
Healthcare workers are at risk of being infected with a host of diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C every day they come to work to care for sick patients. These are the very people who are depended on to treat diseases and save lives. With today's safe needle technology, safety needle use should be widespread and nurses should not be exposed to unnecessary risk. However, this is not the case.

384,000 needle stick injuries occur each year to U.S. hospital-based healthcare professionals. This does not include injuries in outpatient clinics, home health care, home-based care and nursing homes. (CDC) Including these, the number is close to 800,000 needlestick injuries. More than 1000 healthcare workers contract serious infections each year.
Nearly two-thirds of nurses report being accidentally stuck at some time in their career. (American Nurses Association Survey)

Disease spread through needle reuse includes HIV, Hepatitis, gonorrhea, typhus, herpes, malaria, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, syphilis, and tuberculosis.

Safety syringes can reduce accidental needlestick injuries among healthcare professionals by 80% and with worker education, this number is increased to 90%. (ANA Needlestick Prevention Guide)
Nurses accidentally stuck with an HIV-infected needle:

A nurse drawing blood from an HIV-positive patient at a drug clinic holds the needle in her right hand. She then reaches across with her left hand by reflex to grab three blood-collection tubes about to roll off the counter and pierces her left index finger. 13 months later, she is diagnosed with hepatitis and HIV…

Read out more article on www.safeneedle.org regarding

Preventions Strategies
Things to do in response to a Needlestick injury.

More information can be found online at http://www.safeneedle.org

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