A Southland woman has to undergo months of uncertainty about her health after she was pricked by a needle or syringe she found wrapped inside her morning newspaper.
The woman from Bluff has told the Southland Times she was an "emotional wreck" after collecting her paper on Tuesday morning - only to feel a sharp prick in her finger.
She was shocked to find seven empty needles and syringes protruding from a snap-lock bag inside the paper.
The woman, who doesn't want to be named, will undergo three months of blood testing to check if she contracted HIV or hepatitis B or C.
RadioLIVE