DANGER LITTERS CITY'S STREETS

Needle Exchanges Aren't To Blame for Syringe Trash, Say Health Officials

The case of a Nanaimo toddler who may have pricked himself with a
dirty drug needle in his own backyard is unfortunate, say health
officials, who add the benefits of needle exchange programs still
outweigh the risks.

Hunter Vokins, 3, may have accidentally pricked himself with a used
syringe while he played in his Kennedy Street backyard this spring.
He will undergo tests in the next few weeks for such conditions as
HIV and hepatitis, although officials say the chance of contracting
an illness from a syringe is low.

The Nanaimo needle exchange reports a near-perfect recovery rate and
argues the Vokins incident is a good opportunity to raise public
awareness about area checks and safe needle disposal.

Nevertheless, Block Watch patrollers collected nearly 300 syringes on
south end streets -- some still full of blood or other liquids -- in
the past two weeks.

"It's irritating," said Block Watch co-founder Doug Hiltz. "We just
keep it in the back of our mind: What if a child finds this?"

But the effort to clean up city streets isn't aided by attacking
needle exchange programs, say health officials.

"To say we shouldn't be doing needle exchange (programs) would be
similar to saying some people should stop smoking because people get
lung cancer who don't smoke," said Fred Rockwell, a medical health
officer with the Vancouver Island Health Authority. "The needle
exchange program is a proven harm reduction strategy."

Rachel Delorme, of Jolly Giant Childcare on Irwin Street said staff
patrol their yards every day before the children head outside.
Employees have found syringes, drug paraphernalia and condoms, and
are equipped with supplies such as gloves and puncture-proof
containers. Staff also teach the children not to pick up anything on
the ground.

"It's really sad," said Delorme. "It is a problem down at this end
(of the city). Every day it is something we do need to do."

Every month the needle exchange program distributes about 7,500
syringes, depending on "the need and consumer request," said Nanaimo
Street Outreach Health Clinic manager Gord Cote. The majority go to
drug addicts. The program reports a needle return rate between 95% and 102%.

While Cote said the incident reported by the Daily News on Tuesday
was "very regrettable," he also said "it calls for the need to pay
attention to keeping a safe environment."

City social planner John Horn said the recently launched needle box
program -- which aims to lessen the amount of discarded needles on
city streets -- began so children and others wouldn't come across
discarded needles.

While a public awareness campaign about safe needle handling has yet
to hit doorsteps, Horn thinks "the benefits outweigh the risks" when
it comes to such programs.