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.
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.