Police have issued a public safety alert after they say three children may have pricked themselves with needles they found near an elementary school in the city’s Roncesvalles Village neighbourhood.
According to police, at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, three children found discarded syringes left in the area of Roncesvalles Avenue and Dundas Street West.
“Unaware of the potential risks, they picked up the syringes and are believed to have been poked by the needles,” police said in a news release issued Thursday.
The children were subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.
Amy Slater told CTV News Toronto on Thursday that her five-year-old daughter Lily was one of the children who picked up the needles.
Slater confirmed that the syringes were found on school property.
As a precaution, she said doctors have put Lily on medication to treat any diseases she may have contracted.
“So Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, HIV are all things that we worry about,” she said.
She added that the treatment her daughter has been given to protect her from possible exposure to HIV will last 28 days and will likely make her feel ill.
Police are reminding parents to discuss potential health and safety risks associated with discarded syringes.
“Children should be advised to not touch syringes and to notify an adult immediately. Adults should then exercise caution if they decide to remove the syringe, and call 311 to request a pick up,” Toronto police added.
Anyone with information about the discarded syringes is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
