A toddler was pricked by a lancet from a diabetes testing kit in a Wetherspoon pub, a spokesman for the company has confirmed.
Oscar Bate, aged two, is awaiting results in order to find out if he has been infected.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon confirmed that it was a lancet used to test blood glucose levels that caused the incident. Mr Gershon apologised to the family.
This is a tremendously unfortunate and most of all, preventable, situation. It is also an extremely rare occurrence.
Sharp bins can be used at home to collect medicinal waste, but this isn’t the case outside the home.
People with diabetes who use lancets and needles out and about often store used items in their belongings, for example among their blood glucose testing kits. Sometimes though, it may be possible for a lancet to fall out. This is of course unfortunate, and stories such Oscar’s should reinforce the need for vigilance when storing used items.
The incident also raises the issue of finger-prick testing now being an out-of-date way to measure blood glucose levels. New technologies such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and devices such as the FreeStyle Libre are proving to be cheaper in the long-term and while blood testing is still advised, these technologies greatly reduce the number of tests required.
Oscar’s mother, Amy Bate, said Oscar found the lancet under a table at The Glass House in St Helens on 21 October. She then had him tested for hepatitis and HIV. The National Aids Trust has said there are no recorded cases of discarded needles leading to HIV.
If you have diabetes and would like more information on storing medicinal waste when out and about, visit your GP.
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