Health workers face HIV infection threat

Seventeen health workers may have been infected with HIV at work, and four have died as a result, according to a parliamentary report.

A House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report published in October contains figures on needlestick injuries.

It found that five health care workers acquired HIV at work, while a further 12 were probably infected at work.

Of the five definite cases, four have now died. Two were nurses who pricked themselves on needles taken from HIV patients.

Since 1997, there have been more than 1,600 cases in which staff reported similar exposure to either HIV or hepatitis B or C, but none of these reported cases developed HIV as a result.

This is partly due to better availability of post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP, which if taken as soon as possible after exposure can prevent HIV from taking hold.

Nurses' union the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) argues that more protection measures are needed. Sheelagh Brewer, an employment relations adviser at the RCN said that the problem of needlestick injuries remained a major issue.

In Brewer's view: "It is possible to improve safety - staff can be trained on the correct way to deal with sharp needles. We would also like hospitals to consider safer needles, such as retractable needles, or self-blunting needles."

A safer place to work: improving the management of health and safety risks to staff in NHS trusts can be downloaded from www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmpubacc/704/704.pdf