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Many students and staff at a
Winnipeg high school are being tested for HIV and hepatitis after they were
improperly screened for diabetes. On May 4, a University of Manitoba professor
who gave a presentation on diabetes misused a glucometer while checking the
blood-sugar levels of some 80 people at Southeast Collegiate, a school that
serves First Nations youths.
“The lancet, the needle-like poker
which punctures the skin, was in fact changed after every use, and the skin was
cleaned with alcohol,” said John Danakas, a university spokesperson. “It’s the
device which holds the lancet that was reused, and you’re not supposed to reuse
that.”
The university said the risk of
infection is less than one in 1 million. The professor involved was not
authorized to administer the test and has been disciplined. “As soon as the
university found out about it, we alerted the school,” Danakas said.
Staff and students being tested for
HIV and hepatitis B and C must be retested in six months.
“While the risk of a student
contracting an infection is described by the University of Manitoba as
exceptionally unlikely ... the risk is not zero,” Michael Yellowback, chief of
the Manto Sipi Cree Nation, said in a written statement. Eight children from
the reserve attending the school were part of the diabetes testing.
An advocacy group for First Nations
communities in northern Manitoba, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, criticized
the initial blood-glucose checks for not being conducted with prior written
parental consent.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
