Dumped needle a threat to children

A broken syringe discarded outside an inner city Darwin townhouse may have infected a child with life-threatening HIV, a resident warned yesterday.

Chris Stringer, 48, found the needle on grass next to a Manton St parking meter during a 7am walk with his dog Belle.

“Someone could easily have stepped on it,” he said.

The environmental construction worker said drug addicts regularly dumped needle wrappers and blood swabs outside his McMinn St home.

“It’s been increasing,” Mr Stringer said.

“Children will get stick injuries – they’re going to get hepatitis or HIV.”

Four children live in the townhouse near the site of the dumped syringe, which is believed to have been used to inject speed.

A friend of Mr Stringer’s on a two-week stay from Queensland, has a five-week old baby girl.

An apartment resident with an 11-year-old daughter moved out because she was fed up with drug addicts.

Mr Stringer said needles were regularly dumped at nearby Frog Hollow Park.

He was the victim of a violent home invasion two years ago and believes drug addicts kicked him in the head.

His forehead needed 33 stitches. Mr Stringer, an inner city Darwin resident for the past decade, is in favour of a drug injecting room to get dirty needles off the streets.

“I think people have a more relaxed attitude to drugs… they don’t feel any need to protest about it,” he said.

Police spokeswoman Sue Bradley denied intravenous drug use was on the rise.

People who find discarded syringes are advised to call Darwin City Council.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Source: Northern Territory News
Pubdate: 9th October 2004
Author: Stephen Johnson
Website: http://www.ntnews.com.au
Email: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Copyright: 2004 Northern Territory News