COPS CALL FOR BLOOD TESTING

Provincial police association wants changes after city cop accidentally
jabbed with needle

Alberta police are pushing for mandatory blood testing of suspect
individuals, particularly known drug users and sex trade workers, when one
of their officers gets bitten or poked by a needle in the line of duty.

The issue hit home this week when a Lethbridge police officer was
inadvertently pricked in the hand by a hypodermic syringe as he arrested a
female suspect in connection with a robbery.

As the law stands now, a suspect individual has to consent to a blood test
for diseases like HIV or Hepatitis C; they are not legally obligated to
undergo testing.

The Lethbridge officer now faces agonizing weeks ahead until test results
clear him of a blood-borne infection. The protocol of testing goes for six
months because HIV and Hep C can take that long to show a positive result.

The Alberta Federation of Police Associations hopes that will change soon.
They have drafted a resolution that would compel suspected sources of
infection to submit to testing and will present it to the provincial
government this spring.

"It is a great concern. (The risks) are very real," said Jon Netelenbos,
executive director of the Alberta Federation of Police Associations. "The
Canadian Police Association has actually lobbied for this for many years."

Fraser Valley Canadian Alliance MP Chuck Strahl introduced a private
member's bill that would have provided some protection for citizens,
including police and emergency workers, who lend assistance in stopping
crime. Under the bill, a judge would have the power to order a blood
sample. Strahl struck a deal with the Liberals to have the bill's subject
matter placed before the next meeting of the Federal, Provincial and
Territorial Attorneys General for resolution.

The legislation proposed by the Alberta police associations is similar to
the Health Protection and Promotion Act in Ontario. The Act permits access
to information for police, emergency workers, victims of crime and good
Samaritans when exposure to communicable diseases is in question.

Locally, a designated officer is informed and initial bloodwork done when
potential contamination occurs. Results provide baseline information
because neither HIV or Hep C infections become apparent immediately, said
Karen Thomas, communicable disease co-ordinator with the Chinook Health
Region. Followup testing is conducted at varying intervals for HIV and Hep C.

Each incident is also evaluated by the city's health and safety committee,
which has police representation, to determine if anything could have been
done differently.

The Alberta Federation of Police Associations would like to see
preventative measures put in place.

A cocktail of drugs is available to those who may have been exposed to HIV.
It has proven to be effective against HIV but requires six months of
treatment and comes with side-effects, said Dr. Helene Wirzba, executive
director of the Lethbridge HIV Connection.

However, she added the risks of contracting Hep C are greater because more
people are infected with the disease. No drug treatment is available for
Hep C so the only recourse for anyone with a possible infection is to wait
for test results.

Thomas said the CHR had no new cases of HIV in 2002. The risk of getting
HIV from a deep needle stick injury with a known carrier is .3 per cent.

The risk of getting Hep C under the same conditions is three per cent.