Syringes are non-sterile in about 40% of the nearly 16 billion shots given each year worldwide, health experts estimate. The number of injections given with non-sterile syringes ranges significantly depending on the country, with estimates ranging from 1% in some countries to almost 70% in others. The areas that are the most likely to give non-sterile shots are the Middle East and South Asia. Health experts estimate that injections with non-sterile syringes lead to about 1.3 million deaths each year.
More about syringe safety :
- About 2% of all new cases of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide are thought to be caused by the use of non-sterile needles, and the rate is about 9% in South Asian countries.
- In 2008, more than 4,000 Americans became infected with HIV from sharing needles when injecting drugs. It also is estimated that more than 50% of drug users who are infected with HIV also have Hepatitis C.
- The medical costs associated with the effects of using non-sterile syringes are thought to be more than $500 million US Dollars (USD) each year.