Nearly 70 employees of Otsuka Pharmaceutical's New Jersey office are being tested for HIV and hepatitis following a gross oversight on the part of a nurse who administered their flu shots. Not only did the nurse fail to give the proper dosage, she reused the syringes. An official from the New Jersey Department of Health informed Otsuka employees of the nurse's error in a letter, which explained that “the needles were changed between each patient, but the syringe was reused multiple times,” NBC10 reports.
Officials from the Department of Health add that the risk of infection is "low," but they continue to urge those who were potentially exposed to others' blood to undergo screening as soon as possible. In addition to being tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, these patients must get another flu shot, due to the nurse's failure to actually give the correct dose of the vaccine.
For those of you who have yet to get your shot this year, do not treat this story as a reason to avoid it. The flu vaccine helps you and everyone around you. You can find the nearest clinic, office, or pharmacy that provides flu shots here. We wish everyone a safe and healthy flu season and hope that all nurses take this as a warning to double-check the instructions on vaccines before giving them out.
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