( CNN ) -- Twenty-five years ago I read a newspaper article which said that one day , reused syringes would be one of the major causes of the spread of AIDS . I thought this was totally unacceptable and decided to do something about it . Sadly , it 's come true . The toll from the reuse of syringes now exceeds that of malaria , with deaths due to this practice estimated at about 1.3 million each year . Every 24 seconds a child dies as a result of receiving an unsafe injection . The transmission method is crude -- blood-borne viruses are transmitted from patient to patient as body fluid is transferred by reusing a needle and syringe multiple times . In 1984 I was living in the Caribbean , sailing on yachts , almost waiting for inspiration . Then on a visit home , I read the article predicting the problem and my life changed instantly . For about 30 months , I studied all the areas related to the subject , and then it was clear what the ideal solution needed to be . My invention , the K1 Auto-Disable ( AD ) syringe , can only be used once and thereby helps stop the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis . I set up Star Syringe to globally license K1 . Fourteen licensees now distribute syringes to more than 70 countries , and from our sales figures , we can estimate that 9 million lives have been saved . This syringe is as cheap as all other standard syringes -- about 5 cents , a tenth of the cost of a Coca-Cola , to give you an idea -- but can only be used once and will lock and break if a doctor or nurse tries to reuse it . Outside of our 14 licensees , there are another 10 factories producing single-use syringes in different designs around the world . But an invention is only a starting point for change , and so in 2006 I set up the SafePoint Trust to generate awareness , petition for consistent regulation , and ensure compliance . ( SafePoint takes care never to promote K1 , which would benefit Star Syringe and its licensees . SafePoint does create awareness -- and so demand -- for AD syringes on a generic basis , and our mission is aligned with others who wish to bring about global adoption of safe injection practices . ) We are a small but expanding team , and are incredibly proud to have single-handedly rolled out one of the largest global health campaigns ever , reaching an audience of over 500 million people in India in November 2008 . This unprecedented awareness campaign included 14 press conferences attended by 250 newspapers ; nationwide radio broadcasts ( more than 10,000 ) ; and short film screenings on television ( more than 5,000 ) and in 350 cinemas . It featured the moving story of Sachin , a little boy who contracted HIV through a reused syringe . As a result of this campaign , the Indian Health Ministry made it mandatory for all government health facilities to use AD syringes starting April 30 , 2009 . To ensure continuing momentum and build on the awareness from the previous activity , another campaign will run in India in April 2010 , using shocking footage of syringes still being reused in some hospitals . We have a dedicated team in place that will launch a new campaign focused on Africa next year . Taking the lessons learned from the experience in India , and then adapting the framework to suit the different audience and their preferred media , we will initially focus on Swaziland , Tanzania , Nigeria and Ghana . If an injection is given safely , there is no risk of further infection and therefore there are no additional costs linked to further treatment for secondary , treatment-caused infection . Staff are happier and valuable bed space is kept free . Hospital staff have reported to my team that for every $ 1 they spend on 20 AD syringes , they can expect , typically , to save $ 280 . Finally , I 'm working to launch a new and distinctive LifeSaver logo . I 'm asking other AD manufacturers to unite behind it and use it on their packaging , so that a safe injection can be immediately recognized , asked for and administered . Needle reuse is , for all practical purposes , effectively murder on a global scale . Medical practitioners are blindly giving unsafe injections because they do n't have the resources to do otherwise , or they simply do n't understand the consequences it can have . We need to push for change at the highest levels in society , government and right through to staff at the grassroots level . Bring it on ! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Marc Koska .
Reuse of syringes costs an estimated 1.3 million lives a year , Marc Koska says . Syringes can spread blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis , he says . Koska says low-cost syringes that can be used only once are produced . He says India has mandated use of auto-disable syringes in government facilities .