Parents ‘horrified’ after botched vaccination exposes six-year-old B.C. girl to HIV

Gordon McIntyre, Postmedia News | October 29, 2014 | Last Updated: Oct 29 8:10 AM ET
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A six-year-old girl is in danger of having contacted HIV after a routine vaccination went awry in Fort St. James earlier this month.

When the little girl’s arm flinched as she was getting the booster shot, the needle went through the girl’s skin and pricked the nurse who was administering it.

When the needle was extracted, their blood mixed.

A week later, the little girl’s father was told the nurse was HIV-positive.

“Right off the bat, when this was brought forward to us, we expressed deep regret and apologized to the family,” said Dr. Sandra Allison, chief medical health officer with Northern Health, which oversees more than two dozen hospitals.

“We investigated internally, but we cannot express an opinion based on a specific incident.”

The family has since moved away from Fort St. James, said Elaine Macdonald, publisher of 250News, which broke the story on its website.

“We are horrified,” the father told 250 News.

Northern Health cannot discriminate against a nurse, even one using needles to give booster shots, because he or she may have a blood-borne infection, Allison said.

“We do not discriminate against any health-status issue,” she said. “What we do expect from staff is they operate within the guidelines of their governing body.”

In this case, that would be the College of Registered Nurses of B.C., the regulating agency that sets standards and guidelines.

“Nurses are responsible to have themselves tested … and seek counsel and advice over how (testing positive) would affect their practice,” said Cynthia Johansen, CEO and registrar with the college.

As to whether giving vaccinations is considered a safe procedure for someone with a blood-borne infectious disease, Johansen said she could not speculate, especially in light of a forthcoming investigation by the college.

Right off the bat, when this was brought forward to us, we expressed deep regret and apologized to the family

“Every situation is unique, it depends on so many things,” she said.

Incidents such as the one in Fort St. James do not occur often, according to Northern Health.

“Absolutely, this is very rare,” Allison said. “As an organization, safety is very important to us.”

It’s not known whether the nurse was aware he or she was HIV-positive or whether it was discovered during a followup investigation by Northern Health.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/29/parents-horrified-after-botched-vaccination-exposes-six-year-old-b-c-girl-to-hiv/