A young girl was pricked by a discarded needle at an Australian primary school. The letter, addressed to parents, says staff will remain ‘vigilant’ to keep the school grounds safe.
The eight-year-old girl was stung on Tuesday when she picked up the needle at Roebuck Primary School in Western Australia, The Nightly reported.
The school’s principal, Nikki Sandilands, wrote a letter to parents that same day to inform them that a needle and syringe had been found on the school grounds.
“The parents of these students have been contacted and teachers will be speaking to our students tomorrow and asking them not to touch anything they find on the property. Instead, they should report it to the teacher on duty,” she wrote.
‘We remain vigilant and ensure the site remains safe and secure.
‘Please feel free to contact me at school if your child needs additional support.’
The Ministry of Education would not confirm the alleged damage to NewsWire for privacy reasons.
The school is located in the Shire of Broome, which borders the town of Broome and stretches along the coastline of Western Australia from the Dampier Peninsula to Eighty Mile Beach in the Kimberley region.
The discarded syringe was left in the schoolyard where the girl found it (stock photo)
Letter from Nikki Sandilands, principal of Roebuck Primary School, to parents and carers regarding the discovery of a needle on school grounds
WA Health provides needles and syringes through healthcare providers to reduce the prevalence of blood-borne viruses in people who inject drugs.
“The goal of this important public health program is to reduce the sharing and reuse of injecting equipment to help reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C among drug users and potentially in the broader community,” a health spokeswoman told NewsWire.
‘It is a requirement that all needles and syringes distributed in Western Australia are provided with a secure disposal container.
‘Pre-packaged needle and syringe containers contain a waste bin and are labelled with information on safe disposal.
‘All providers of needle and syringe programs are trained to educate their clients on safe needle and syringe disposal.’
Roebuck Primary School is located in Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Broome City Council Chairman Chris Mitchell said needlestick injuries were a “problem” across Western Australia.
“It’s a problem across the Kimberley region, across the state, because people aren’t disposing of needles properly and in some cases people are getting stung by it,” he said.
He said four municipal workers have suffered stick injuries in recent years.
“Shire employees pick them up all the time when they’re out doing their rounds,” he said.
‘And then you also have the stress of finding out if you have other problems.’
The council is now lobbying the Department of Health to introduce retractable single-use needles
“So far we’ve been told it’s more expensive, but that shouldn’t be a factor,” he said.
