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A new kind of syringe will stop the spread of hepatitis C and HIV
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Reuse of syringes and needles leads to thousands of infections every year, including diseases that are difficult to treat and incurable.
Millions of people worldwide suffer from unsafe injections, and this could be avoided if all countries included safe injections in their health programmes.
In this regard, WHO intends to implement a new policy aimed at introducing safe injections and assisting a number of countries on the path to this.
According to data provided by WHO in 2010, due to the secondary use of syringes and failure to adhere to safe injection practices, about two million people were infected with hepatitis C, and about 40 thousand people were infected with HIV.
WHO has now published new guidelines detailing the importance of injection safety policies, with a particular focus on syringe characteristics, including safety measures for health workers.
The WHO also calls for reducing the number of injections and only administering those that are absolutely necessary.
Every year, sixteen billion injections are administered worldwide, of which 5% are vaccinations for children and adults, 5% are other procedures (injectable contraceptives, blood transfusions, etc.). The rest of the injections are administered intramuscularly, subcutaneously, etc. In most cases, such injections can be replaced with drugs for oral administration.
Infections from injections occur all over the world. According to a study, in 2007, a mass hepatitis C infection in one US state occurred when a doctor injected a painkiller into one patient with hepatitis C and then used the needle to fill other doses from the same ampoule, thereby introducing the infection into the painkiller, which led to an outbreak.
Late last year, more than two hundred people, including children, were infected with HIV in one city in Cambodia, also as a result of unsafe injections.
WHO recommends using a new type of syringe that has a special device built in to prevent reuse. Some models have a weak plunger that breaks when used again, while others have a metal clip that locks the plunger after use or a retractable needle after use.
In addition, specialists are working on a new type of syringe that will protect health workers from accidental injections with used syringes. Specialists plan to create a syringe in which the needle will close automatically after the drug is administered, which will prevent accidental injury to health workers.
WHO recommends that all countries switch completely to the new types of syringes within the next five years, with the exception of cases where it would interfere with the procedure, for example during blood transfusions.
WHO also made a corresponding appeal to manufacturers and recommended that they begin (or increase) production of new types of syringes as soon as possible.
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