The First Nations University of Canada is doing everything it can to contact as many as 289 students who may have been exposed to contaminated blood testing equipment over the past nine years.
It involves students who took part in a blood typing exercise in a biology lab at the Prince Albert campus between 2002 and 2011.
Director of Health Sciences for the First Nations University Anthony de Padua says while the risk that anyone has been infected by the equipment is extremely low, the university decided to proceed based on the advice of the chief medical officer for the region.
“There is an extremely low risk to the students being exposed to blood borne pathogens but from the First Nations University perspective no risk is acceptable when it comes to the health of our students so this is why we are taking this precautionary measure,” he says.
The university says the potential for blood infection is posed by the fact that although fresh needles were used on each student who took part in the blood typing exercise, the instrument used to hold the needles was cleaned and reused.
People who have concerns and think they may have been involved in the blood typing exercises at the Prince Albert campus during the years 2002 to 2011 can contact the campus at (306) 765-3333 ext. 7500 with questions.