Infection control basis for recommending one-time use of sterile syringes and aseptic procedures for injection drug users

Persons who inject drugs are at increased risk for many infectious diseases, including HIV. Reuse of syringes and needles and other equipment used to prepare and inject drugs increases the risk of infection with blood-borne and other pathogens. According to standard infection control guidelines, needles and syringes and their contents fall within the critical category of patient contact because they enter the normally sterile vascular space. Medical equipment considered critical should be treated or prepared in a manner that destroys vegetative and spore-forming microbes. The simplest way to ensure this level of hygienic practice is to use prepackaged, sterile, disposable needles and syringes and to use sterile drug preparation equipment and drugs. These recommendations are made as part of a comprehensive infection prevention program designed for injection drug users.