On top of having to cope with oral medicine doses, the youngster also has to endure weekly blood tests.

“That’s just to check the HIV medication isn’t shutting down his organs.”

It will be six months before Marcus can be considered clear of any viruses.

The ordeal has taken a toll on the parents, and they hope other families won’t have to experience the same nightmare.

“I’m pretty upset,” Stefanie said. “I think something needs to change.”

What was particularly frustrating, she noted, is that when her husband called around to city and regional authorities following the needle prick, he couldn’t reach anyone who could address the problem of needle debris.

It was finally an employee at the Region of Waterloo who gave him a lead on someone to call about the need for cleanup. Later, a representative of the Grand River Conservation Authority offered to help, saying the organization would send a crew, even though the area is out of its jurisdiction.

“Everybody’s passing the buck,” said Stefanie. “Who’s responsible for the cleanup?”

While the parents understand the philosophy behind making clean needles available for free to prevent spread of disease, they contend there's no follow-through to ensure used needles are actively collected and destroyed safely. Agencies, including public health, which offer clean needle programs, should also consider risks created by drug debris, Stefanie maintains.

“Why are they not responsible for the cleanup. The whole point is to keep people safe, so why are (they) not doing that?”

While promises to address drug-related issues in the community may be admirable, they fall painfully short for the Messier family.

“It’s easy for everybody to say we should do something, but I’m the one who has to hold my son down every morning and every night because he doesn’t like the medication.”

Three people have to hold him down to take blood samples, she added.

“This is crazy. This shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t happen to anybody.”

Though he could not speak specifically about the Messier family’s case due to privacy rules, chief of emergency medicine Dr. Arthur Eugenio said it’s highly uncommon for people to attend ER after being pricked by a used drug needle. It’s more common to treat health care workers who have been accidentally poked by syringes while delivering medication to a patient.

“Probably less than five cases for sure in my career here, and that’s 12 years now.”

The risks of infection when poked by a used drug needled include hepatitis B and HIV, said Eugenio. However, the most concerning infection risk is hepatitis C, as there are no vaccines available before or after exposure. The virus can lead to liver failure.