Speaking of used needles, I’ve spoken with several Japanese who have told me that at the time they were inoculated, the same needle was used three or four times. This would have been about 20 or 30 years ago, perhaps longer. I have no idea whether this practice was restricted to where I live, or whether it was carried out throughout Japan. When I first heard this, I didn’t believe it, but as I have continued to hear the same story again and again, I accept this as something more than a rumor. It amazes me that this practice would have ever been deemed safe. Again though this would have been 20 or 30, perhaps even 40 years ago. I can’t ascertain exactly when based only on stories people have told me.

In general, even now, I don’t like the way children are commonly inoculated in Japan. While it is possible to actually schedule an inoculation with a doctor, I believe most parents go to the requisite community center on the relevant day. I have experienced this several times with my own children. Our community center is old and doesn’t seem particularly clean. When you arrive in the building you take a number, then when the time comes you line up. You enter a wide room with several doctor’s each sitting at separate makeshift tables.

Now here is the part I don’t like. On each makeshift table is usually a tray containing about five to ten (or more) syringes that have already been prepared but not used yet. The needles are not covered, and this just strikes me as sloppy. It seems like it would be easy for an accident to happen as well. The used syringes go into a can that is placed next to the tray. It seems like it would be easy to misplace a syringe. Especially as everything takes place at a sightly hurried rate. You sit down in front of the doctor, a nurse helping to position you. Then the nurse takes one of the syringes from the batch of them and hands it to the doctor, and he performs the injection. He then hands the used syringe back to the nurse, who puts it in the can for used syringes, which is next to the tray. The doctor performs no hand washing or spraying the hands with alcohol between each inoculation.

I don’t know if there’s a better way to do this elsewhere or not. I do remember that for some of my inoculations in America, I had them done at school in the library. A single doctor would come and as a class we’d all go and get our inoculation. Permission had been granted by our parents through signed permission slips. I can’t remember at all whether the syringes were all prepared and laying on a tray or not. Or even if we shared the same needle. But I kind of doubt it.

While I’m on this topic, other things I’ve heard. I once had dental assistants tell me they didn’t change their medical glove between patients, and instead sprayed their hands with alcohol. This is, of course, frightening. The gloves are not designed for this. I’ve also had elementary school teachers tell me they witnessed a dentists come to their school the check their students’ teeth. I can’t remember whether he wore medical gloves or not, but he stuck his hands in every students mouth, and did not make any attempt to spray them with alcohol or clean them in anyway between each student. Now things like that should never happen.

Now don’t even get me going about ear, nose, throat doctors where you can see all the unused equipment sitting out on a tray right in front of you, all unwrapped. Once it’s used, it gets thrown in a bucket, where it will be washed and sterilized for reuse. This is even true for the plastic tubes they stick in your nose … alright, I’d better stop. Maybe more some other time.