Anxious mom awaiting baby's Hep C test - Vancouver Courier
By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer

An East Side resident wants the sandbox in his nearby park made safer after his neighbour's baby poked herself with a used hypodermic needle hidden in the sand.

Terry Nelson said his neighbour took her 18-month-old child to the tiny Salsbury Park next to the Grace McInnes Co-op on Salsbury Drive a month ago. After doing a visual check of the sandbox, she put her child down to play. Within seconds the child had uprooted a used hypodermic needle and stuck herself twice. Nelson said the mother doesn't want to be identified because though the child has since tested negative for HIV, she's till waiting for the results of a Hepatitis C test.

"She's afraid that if there's even a hint her child has Hep C, the baby won't be accepted into daycare," said Nelson, who is the community resource volunteer for the co-op. "She's also worried other people will keep their kids away even if the baby doesn't have it. She has a fear of being ostracized."

Nelson said after the baby was stuck he phoned the parks board, but after another needle was found in the sand box this week, he decided to contact the Courier as a way to warn other parents. Nelson said he spoke with commissioners Allan De Genova and Spencer Herbert, who both agreed to look into the situation. Nelson wants the aging park upgraded, including its playground equipment.

"I'd like to see the sandbox replaced with foam like they have at other parks," said Nelson. "I'm living with a chronic illness but before I became disabled I used to go out and check the grounds and I've found 30 needles a month. That's unacceptable."

De Genova said he is aware of the problem and adds that while the parks board is working on long-term solutions, it's up to parents to be extra vigilant.

"Our staff do check out the parks but they can't be there every day. Parents should carry a small rake with them and dig through the sand and even the birds-eye gravel at the bottom of slides and under swings before they let their children play," said De Genova. "It's unfortunate but druggies have been burying their needles in city parks."

De Genova said parents also need to watch for dog feces. He said some owners allow their dogs to defecate in sandboxes.

"It's a matter of hygiene and health as well," he said.

De Genova said now that some larger projects are wrapping up or starting in parks such as Victoria Park and Grandview, the board will turn its attention to smaller upgrades.

published on 10/27/2006