Representative image of a medic inoculating vaccine to a beneficiary (File photo)

A vaccinator allegedly used the same syringe to administer anti-COVID-19 vaccine to 39 children at a private school in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar city, officials said on Thursday. The parents of some of the children on Wednesday observed the vaccinator using the same syringe to inoculate the children and raised an alarm for the gross negligence on his part, they said.

The incident took place at the Jain Higher Secondary School in the city during a mega vaccination drive following which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the vaccinator, identified as Jitendra Ahirwar, a district official said.

Dr Sanjith Saseedharan, consultant & Head Critical Care, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim-A Fortis Associate said 'one needle, one syringe, one time' is a universal precaution, "which means it cannot be done any other way and should be instinctive."

Disposable syringes, meant for single use, have been around since the 1990s since HIV started spreading. Reuse of syringes and/or needles is the most appalling type of unsafe injection practice because it can carry a substantial risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission, as evidenced by numerous outbreak investigations.

Dr Saseedharan shared with News9, "This practice contains the highest number of chances of transmitting infectious diseases. Reusing a needle or syringe can put patients in danger of getting hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and HIV."

"These 30 students are at a higher risk of developing Necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria). Necrotizing fasciitis spreads quickly and aggressively in an infected person. It causes tissue death at the infection site and beyond," he added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines call for medications labelled as "single-dose" or "single-use" to be used for only one patient. This practice protects patients from life-threatening infections that occur when medications get contaminated from unsafe use.

Syringe reuse can expose patients to the blood of other patients (either directly through the used syringe/needle or indirectly through the medication container that becomes contaminated when accessed by a used needle or syringe), CDC considers these "never events." If these practices are identified, they warrant notification and testing of potentially exposed patients for bloodborne pathogens.

"No, shortage of needles and syringes is not at all the case in India," said the expert. He added that this is a case of carelessness and it cannot be read otherwise.

According to the report, the vaccinator, Jitendra, claimed only one syringe was sent by the authorities and he was ordered by the "head of department" to vaccinate all the children with it. In a video recorded by the parents of the students, Jitendra said he did not know her name.

"The person who delivered the materials only gave a single syringe," Jitendra is heard saying in a video recorded on the spot by the anxious parents. Asked if he was aware that one syringe should not be used to inject multiple people, Jitendra said, "I know that. This is why I asked them if I have to use just one syringe and they said 'yes'. How is this my fault? I did what I was asked to do."

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