Pubdate: Fri, 27 Oct 2006
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Sandra Thomas, Staff writer

ANXIOUS MOM AWAITING BABY'S HEP C TEST

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.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine