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Nearly 40 people may have received used syringes from a needle exchange program in Sudbury, Ont., over a period of several months, according to Public Health Sudbury and Districts.
Jonathan Groulx, the health unit’s manager of health protection, said the organization Réseau ACCESS Network, which runs the needle exchange program for harm reduction, reported the issue to public health.
“We believe the risk to be very, very low, but it’s something that we still also take very seriously and we are working very closely with Réseau ACCESS Network on it,” Groulx said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
Groulx said an investigation is still underway, but they have determined Réseau ACCESS Network had a process in place “that didn’t protect access to sterile syringes and allowed for potential contamination of those syringes and that product.”
In a news release, Réseau ACCESS Network said a staff member found some new and used equipment in a clear container labelled for individual single-use needles.
Groulx said the lapse occurred between July 1, 2022, and Jan. 13, 2023, when the organization discovered and reported the issue.
The needle exchange program is based out of Réseau ACCESS Network’s downtown Sudbury location, at 111 Larch St.
People possibly affected being contacted
Réseau ACCESS Network also operates Sudbury’s supervised consumption site, where medical professionals can supervise drug users and prevent overdoses. Groulx said the used syringes were not connected to that site.
Because it was for a specific type of syringe that isn’t as commonly used as some other types, records show nearly 40 people may have been affected in that time.
“Those individuals are actively being contacted and provided education and options for testing,” Groulx said.
Used syringes can transmit bloodborne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.
In a news release, Réseau ACCESS Network’s executive director, Heidi Eisenhauer, said they have offered testing and guidance to minimize risk for all people potentially affected by the safety lapse.
“The agency has taken immediate action to inform anyone who has potentially been exposed to the hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and to encourage testing and offer support to anyone who may need it,” she said.
The organization added it has suspended the distribution of individual needles until sterile, pre-packaged needles are available.
In an email to Radio-Canada, Eisenhauer said Réseau ACCESS Network has changed it’s practice for single-use needles and is currently investigating how the incident may have happened.
