Peterhear teenager in HIV needle scare
2005-05-05Copyright © 2005 Archant Regiona
'The doctor has told us it is highly unlikely that she will have caught anything, but there will always be that doubt in the back of our heads now until we get the all clear' Mum Angela Napier
by Billy Youngson
A TEENAGER fears she has HIV after pricking her finger on a syringe outside a Peterhead supermarket.
Thirteen-year-old Carole-Ann Napier has an anxious six-month wait to find out if she is clear of potential diseases.
The Peterhead Academy pupil caught her thumb on the needle after delving into a bin to rescue a £2 coin she dropped.
Remarkably she decided to go through with her Second Year maths exam before telling her mum, Angela.
The worried mother sent her child straight to Peterhead Health Centre's casualty ward. Nurses then sent her to Aberdeen for a range of gruelling blood tests and a tetanus jab.
Ms Napier said: "It's a hell of a wait now. We just want everyone to be aware of what has happened so that they know there is a danger.
"It's just natural instincts to try to grab something when you've dropped it."
"Parents and children should be aware of the
risks and drug users should do everything they can to prevent it."
Reliving the horrific lunch-time ordeal, Carole-Ann
said: "I didn't realise what had happened until I pulled back the rubbish.
"I wasn't bleeding, so I thought I was okay. I had 15 minutes to my maths exam so I just decided I had to get there."
The events unfolded on Monday afternoon when the young music enthusiast was with a bunch of friends at Morrisons to get her lunch.
Her mum is furious that the store has not said sorry for what has happened.
She said: "We never even got an apology from them. All they said was that their bins were emptied regularly.
"I accept that, because we went back to find the needle and it wasn't there. But if they know there is a problem around that area, why don't they just set up a needle bin so that users can dispose of needles properly?
It will be October before the youngster knows if she has avoided catching viruses like HIV or Hepatitis.
Ms Napier said: "The doctor has told us it is highly unlikely that she will have caught anything. But there will always be that doubt in the back of our heads now until we get the all clear."
The family live at the town's Bosiesbank Way and Carole-Anne is a former pupil of Meethill Primary.
She is a part of the Peterhead Academy Rock Challenge team and her favourite band is Freefaller.