The New Nation - Internet Edition

REPORTS have appeared in newspapers that some merchants of death continue the business of collecting used syringes and needles at little or no price for repacking and reuse. A Dhaka daily reported, repacking and reuse of used syringes and needles was discovered by following the activities of street urchins who pick up such syringes with the needles from dustbins and other places-- where these are thrown --and then sell them for Taka 30 to 35 per kg to those who repack the stuff and market them without the users knowing what deadly things they use.

After collecting them in adequate numbers, the syringes and needles are wrapped in fresh packages so expertly that the deceit can be hardly detected. The used needles are successfully marketed and used at pathological labs and private clinics. Reputed hospitals and clinics probably take care not to buy such hazardous things. But most of the others -- and these are much more in number -- do not hesitate to use them out of a consideration that these are substantially cheaper than the new ones. Thus, syringes and needles used to draw infected blood of patients are reused on unsuspecting person who can be infected in turn.

Like the used syringes and needles, used bottles of so-called mineral water are collected from street urchins of some people who fill those with water in their backyards and declare same as products of reputed companies. Very tough steps are urgent against these growing threats to public health. The law enforcement bodies should be specially instructed to punish those who are marketing the deadly syringes and needles and fake bottled waters. Particularly all medical centres should be required by law to incinerate or properly dispose of their syringes and needles to prevent reuse.