Viral
hepatitis B and C, which can cause life-threatening damage to the
liver, can be the unintended consequence of two recent social trends:
diabetes curiosity and self-inking/piercing. Diabetes curiosity refers
to those who use someone else’s lancet and glucose meter diabetes
testing devices to prick themselves to test their own blood sugar
levels. Self-inkers/piercers are people who use needles or other devices
to create tattoos or pierce themselves or friends. In both cases, a
life-threatening hepatitis infection can spread quickly from one person
to another.“We have concerns about people borrowing someone else’s diabetes testing equipment to see what their own blood sugar levels are,” said State Epidemiologist Tim Jones, MD. “With these devices now commonplace, the testing process can generate curiosity. Parents need to know and remind children who use the devices not to share them with others, and parents of non-diabetic children should teach everyone in their family to never, ever experiment with another person’s insulin-related equipment.”