Victoria police have issued a public warning after a second person in two days was pricked by a stray syringe, this time a woman who was walking her dog in the 700 block of Pembroke Street about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
On Monday, a three-year-old child was pricked by a syringe a few blocks away at the McDonald’s restaurant on Pandora Avenue. The parents noticed an uncapped syringe when the child started to cry. The child was taken to a hospital, examined and released, and is likely to have blood tests for HIV and hepatitis B and C.
In the woman’s case, Victoria police said she was pricked when she took a paper bag away from her dog that it had found by a garbage can. After being pricked, she took a closer look at the bag and saw a number of capped and uncapped syringes inside.
Police said they believe that the bag was improperly disposed of and they saw no indication that it was left where it was with malicious intent. An officer offered the woman reassurance and she was sent to hospital to be checked.
Two syringe prick incidents in the span of two days is very rare, said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Island Health’s chief medical health officer. There were three reported pricks from syringes last year at Island Health’s Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Services on Cook Street.
“Even though it’s not great that we have two in two days, these incidents do happen infrequently,” Stanwick said. “We appreciate the fact that it’s very upsetting and disturbing.”
Island Health gave out about one million clean syringes on Vancouver Island last year, Stanwick said, and while most of them are collected and disposed of, some end up on the streets or in parks.
“I know there are people questioning why do we give out so many needles. We really do keep blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C down by making sure people are using clean needles.”
The risk of HIV infection is very low if an uncapped needle has been exposed to air, Stanwick said.
Syringes used to inject illicit drugs are often dropped onto streets, alleyways and boulevards. Every morning, volunteers walk around Our Place and the surrounding blocks cleaning the streets and picking up needles, said Don Evans, executive director of Our Place Society, a drop-in centre for people who are homeless or struggling with addiction. But these sweeps do not include areas outside the core such as Pembroke Street, where the woman was pricked, or inside businesses.
A longer-term solution, Evans said, is increasing the number of addiction treatment beds for people who want to get help. A supervised consumption site would also ensure used needles are discarded properly.
Island Health has approved a supervised drug-injection site on Pandora Avenue next to Our Place. It is to open in late spring, operating 12 hours a day.
Evans is pushing for longer hours. “Getting people inside and off the street is certainly a big help,” he said. “The challenge is that none of the sites are open 24-7.”
These incidents will add to worry about safety downtown, said Stephen Hammond, part of the group Mad As Hell, formed in response to the tent city that appeared on the grounds of the Victoria courthouse. The group is canvassing for people to run against incumbent Victoria councillors.
Hundreds of people have filled out surveys on the website newcouncil.ca, and Hammond has noticed many have raised concerns about safety.
“This is what we’re hearing from a lot of people. Safety has to be at the forefront of what our government does, both at the provincial and the municipal level,” Hammond said. “And the people of Victoria are demonized for saying ‘Can we have safety while you’re looking after social service needs?’ ”
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Staying safe
Police recommend that people follow City of Victoria guidelines when a used hypodermic needle is found on public or private property.
For needles on public property, call the public works street-cleaning crew 24 hours a day at 250-361-0400.
On private property, these are the options:
• The Downtown Victoria Business Association Clean Team from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Friday at 250-386-2238.
• The AIDS Vancouver Island Mobile Harm Reduction Unit from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Friday at 250-896-2849.
• The Society of Living Illicit Drug Users seven days a week at 250-298-9497. There is a small fee for needle pick-up.
• B.C. Hazmat, with fee-based pick-up. Call 250-656-3382
