A photo of a bin full of used needles in a downtown alleyway in Sudbury is sparking new concern about street drug use.
The disturbing scene in a locked sewer grate lurks in an alley behind the provincial building in downtown Sudbury, where there are hundreds of discarded needles, an ever more common site all over the region, and a symbol of a drug problem out of control.
But it might also be a positive sign, that users are throwing needles away instead of re-using or sharing.
Ginette Cyr is a nurse with Public Health Sudbury & Districts.
"The more people that you share needles with, the more you increase your chances of maybe getting infected with a blood-born infection like HIV or Hepatitis C." said Cyr.
But the rates are low, less than 1% chance for HIV and around a 10% chance of getting Hepatitis C.
Officials say is not worth the risk of sharing needles.
And while those needles littering the streets, parks, or sewer grates carry a risk to the public, Cyr says the chances of getting stuck and infected are even lower.
"This syringe has been exposed to the elements. If it's been over the winter, how long it has been on the ground? Has the heat from the sun killed the virus?" said Cyr.
But that might not offer much peace of mind with a crisis that shows no signs of going away any time soon.
