Employees tested after unsafe flu shot injections

Employees at an office flu shot clinic are being tested for hepatitis and HIV after they were given the wrong dosage, in addition to other safety measures falling short. The flu shots were given to

News 12 Staff

Oct 7, 2015, 5:01 AM

Updated 3,311 days ago

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Employees at an office flu shot clinic are being tested for hepatitis and HIV after they were given the wrong dosage, in addition to other safety measures falling short.
The flu shots were given to employees of the pharmaceutical company Otsuka in West Windsor.
A source says the nurse changed needles with each patient, but used the same syringe -- possibly putting them at risk.
Otsuka contracted TotalWellness to provide the vaccinations.
TotalWellness said, "There is a plan to mitigate any potential medical concerns and exposure risks."
The West Windsor Health Department set up a clinic for the 67 Otsuka employees involved at the town's senior center.
"They're getting counseling. And they're getting vaccinations. The vaccinations are for hepatitis B and vaccinations for flu shots," says Jill Swanson, of the West Windsor Health Department.
Employees are also being offered a second flu shot, as the nurse gave too low a dosage. The state Health Department is investigating, and it said, "Full infection control practices that prevent transmission of blood-borne diseases were not used."
Since there was no direct contact with the syringe, Dr. Derrick DeSilva says the risk of anyone getting an infection is minimal.
"It's not the right way to do it what they did, but the chances of them getting something are extremely low," says DeSilva.
The Health Department will provide medical monitoring, vaccinations and counseling to recipients of the flu shot for the next six months.
Otsuka says the follow-up care will be provided to the employees at no cost.