Batley woman stabbed by used drugs needles thrown in bin
Story about Danielle Watson was pushing some rubbish into her wheelie bin when her hand was pricked by dirty needles someone had dumped in.
A WOMAN faces an agonising wait to see if she has contracted HIV after pricking herself on needles dumped by a drug user in her bin.
Danielle Watson was putting rubbish in her wheeled bin when she felt something sharp prick her hands and found used needles had been thrown inside.
The 25-year-old has been told she may have to wait up to five years for the all-clear from HIV and other viruses.
“I feel sick waiting to see what’s going to happen to me and what the future holds,” she said.
“It’s the things you can’t do – you can’t have kids, can’t give blood and can’t donate organs if you have HIV.”
Danielle was pushing rubbish down into her bin around noon last Tuesday when she felt something sharp prick her hands.
“I dragged my hands out and my left hand had a needle still in it,” she said.
“I’m needle phobic so I was hysterical.”
Terrified, she called NHS Direct and was advised to go to hospital.
Danielle had blood drawn for tests and had a hepatitis B jab.
She faces further tests in the near future and has been warned she could have hepatitis B or C and the HIV virus.
She said: “When I get some test results they’ll know if I have to take anti-viral tablets.
“I have been told it takes one to five years to get the all clear.”
When she returned to her home in Healey Lane, Batley, Danielle called Kirklees Council’s Environmental Waste to have the needles removed from her bin.
But she was asked if she could remove the needles herself using gloves and a milk bottle.
“The woman said, ‘Can’t you do it yourself? We don’t want the crew to get hurt do we?’.” Danielle said. “I said I had been through enough.”
The council collected the needles on Saturday and a spokesman apologised for the delay.
He said householders were advised to remove and store needles safely until they were collected and the bin could be emptied if safe removal was not possible.
Danielle is trying to stay positive while she waits for test results but fears the stigma of HIV should she test positive. She said: “That’s what I’m scared of, people hear about it and say ‘get away from me’.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Batley
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
