A public health unit is alerting patients who visited a walk-in clinic west of Toronto that they may have been exposed to blood-borne infections because of the use of unsterile needles over the span of more than six years.
Halton Region Public Health said in a notice Wednesday that appropriate infection prevention and control measures were not followed when using multidose vials at Halton Family Health Centre Walk-in Clinic.
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The notice says this lapse happened “intermittently” between Jan. 1, 2019 and July 17, 2025, potentially exposing patients to cross-contamination and transmission of infections.
The needles were used for local anesthetic to freeze patients for stitches, IUD insertions, skin biopsies, removing lumps and joint injections.
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The public health unit says patients who visited the clinic during the designated time period should get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
Halton Region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Deepika Lobo, says the risk of transmission is low, but patients who may have been exposed should get tested as a precautionary measure.
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