Miami Herald - Thursday, March 5, 1987
Alison Davis

Principal Wesley Choate said he will question all students who took Franklin Turner's health class in the fall semester to find out whether they had their fingers pricked for blood tests in the class.

Those students who did have the blood tests in Turner's classes also will be asked to have tests for the hepatitis and AIDS viruses, he said.

Manatee County Health Department officials say the students need the tests because Turner used the same stylet -- a sharp metal instrument used for pricking fingers -- to take blood from all students who volunteered.

Turner, a physical education and health teacher, cleaned the stylet with alcohol after each use, said Ken McMillen, epidemiologist for the county Health Department. But Turner should have thrown the stylet away because alcohol does not kill all viruses, he said.

Health Department officials originally had planned to test only the 23 students who volunteered for a blood sugar test Feb. 23. as part of a class lesson on diabetes, McMillen said.

But Wednesday, parents who read about the incident told Choate their children had taken the same blood test in Turner's class last fall.

Choate was not sure Wednesday how many students had participated in the fall test.

"I don't know how many we're going to find," he said. "Between 20 and 25 -- the teacher feels there's about that many."

Students who had the blood sugar test Feb. 23 may begin a six-month series of tests Monday for human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and for the virus causing Hepatitis B, McMillen said.

State and county health officials say it is unlikely that students contracted either virus. Transmission of AIDS is much less likely than transmission of hepatitis.

Hepatitis B is more easily transmitted through a pin prick than is AIDS, said Michael Wilder, acting epidemiologist for the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services in Tallahassee.

"Obviously, we're being overly cautious, perhaps if anything," Wilder said. "This is not the same as if you were in Miami and doing this demonstration with prostitutes . . . this is an unusual set of circumstances."

Hepatitis B may be "transmitted with a minuscule amount of transfer of blood and is very contagious through that route," Wilder said.

"The potential for blood-borne illness is there," he said. "You could make guestimates about whether these students are in a relatively low-risk group, but it only takes one individual who might be infected, particularly with Hepatitis B virus.

"Hepatitis B outbreaks have been linked to ear-piercing salons and department stores, so the potential through this technique is clear," he said. "Sometimes improper techniques are applied by untrained people."

Tuesday, Turner said he did not realize that cleaning the stylet with alcohol was not good enough.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't really think about it," he said. "It was such an easy test. I just started using it as a teaching tool."

Both Wilder, and Katherine Lord, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, said they had not heard of any incidents similar to the one at Manatee High School.

Teachers who want to do tests such as the blood test on students should consult their county health department for advice, Wilder said.

"If you went to your physician and he said, 'Let me wipe off this needle with an alcohol swab; I've only been using it the last week,' you'd run out the door," Wilder said. "And you should."

Choate, meanwhile, says teachers at Manatee High School will not perform any tests like the blood sugar test done in Turner's class.

"They're not going to do it at all unless they want to go through some procedures we'll make for them -- for a nurse to come in who is qualified," he said.

"And then if the children volunteer to do it, we'll let them take something home, probably, and let the parents state they don't mind," he said. "It's going to be a rigamarole to do it.

"I know it's causing a lot of problems for the parents of those who had their fingers pricked," Choate said. "I realize there is a certain fear there. . . . It's just a lousy situation."
870305
MH870309

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1987. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1987. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .