Injection risks and HIV transmission in the Republic of South Africa

The sexualization of the HIV epidemic in South Africa has been used as evidence that unsafe medical injections are of minimal importance to transmission in Africa, because the country was thought to be free of unsafe injection risks. More recent observation reveals routine failures in infection cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of STD & AIDS 2009-12, Vol.20 (12), p.816-819
Main Authors: Reid, S, Van Niekerk, A A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
AIDS/HIV
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross Infection - epidemiology
Cross Infection - transmission
Equipment Reuse
Female
HIV Infections - epidemiology
HIV Infections - transmission
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Immunization
Injections - adverse effects
Injections - instrumentation
Male
South Africa - epidemiology
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications
Syringes - adverse effects
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Summary:The sexualization of the HIV epidemic in South Africa has been used as evidence that unsafe medical injections are of minimal importance to transmission in Africa, because the country was thought to be free of unsafe injection risks. More recent observation reveals routine failures in infection control in South African maternity and paediatric wards and in public dental clinics. In one province at least one medical injection in five is administered with a used needle or syringe. Over 25% of new HIV infections identified in South African adults using the BED IgG capture enzyme immunoassay in 2005 were in individuals reporting they had not been sexually active in the past 12 months. Immunization injections received at public health facilities are associated with HIV infections in children, many of whom may have passed HIV to their mothers during breastfeeding. South Africa is one of few countries in sub-Saharan Africa not using auto-disable (non-reusable) syringes for all immunizations. Using resource scarcity as justification for needle reuse is ethically indefensible, as injection safety is a readily achievable goal.
ISSN:0956-4624
1758-1052
DOI:10.1258/ijsa.2009.009230