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| Situation Update No. 28 Ref.no.: EH-20091217-24200-GBR
Situation Update No. 28
On 2010-02-23 at 14:44:16 [UTC]
Event: Epidemic Hazard
Location: United Kingdom Scotland Glasgow
Number of Deads: 10 person(s)
Number of Infected: 18 person(s)
Situation: A tenth heroin user has died in Scotland after becoming infected with anthrax, health officials have said. The latest death came in the Fife area, Health Protection Scotland said. Elsewhere, another drug user was confirmed to be infected with the deadly bacteria after using what is thought to be a contaminated batch of heroin. The individual is currently being treated in hospital. Officials said the case was the first in the Dumfries and Galloway area, indicating that the outbreak is continuing to spread around the country. Health Protection Scotland said the spread of the outbreak to a new area suggests that contaminated heroin is still in circulation. The total number of anthrax deaths now stands at 10 in Scotland, which has seen a total of 24 cases linked to heroin during this outbreak. Anthrax is a deadly bacterial infection which occurs mostly in animals in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Humans are seldom infected and it is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person. The current outbreak began with the identification of cases in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in December. Cases have now been recorded in seven NHS board areas across Scotland. An investigation by health boards, the procurator fiscal and Strathclyde Police is trying to identify the source of the anthrax.
One possibility is that contaminated heroin, or a contaminated agent used to cut the drug, is to blame. Dr Colin Ramsay, consultant epidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland, said people need to understand the risks surrounding heroin use. He said: “There is no way to tell if your heroin is contaminated and there is no way to prepare or take heroin that will make it safe if it has anthrax contamination. “Drug users are advised to stop taking heroin if at all possible. While we appreciate that this may be extremely difficult advice to follow, it remains the only public health protection advice possible due to the nature of anthrax infection. “Users should seek urgent medical attention in the event of symptoms such as redness or swelling at or near an injection site, or other symptoms of general illness such a fever, high temperature, chills or a severe headache, as early anti-biotic treatment can be lifesaving.” Heroin contaminated with anthrax also claimed its first victim in England earlier this month - an un-named user from Blackpool. Another person was being treated for the illness in London, taking the total number of UK cases to 26, with 11 deaths. A further fatal case in a drug user in Germany also appears to be linked to the current outbreak.
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