Anthrax outbreak in Scotland kills 6
Pastor Dale Morgan
Anthrax outbreak in Scotland kills 6 *
By MARIA CHENG
The Associated Press
Thursday, January 7, 2010; 12:01 PM
LONDON -- Contaminated heroin may have caused an anthrax outbreak among
drug addicts in Scotland, killing six people and infecting 12 in total,
health officials said Thursday.
All of the people stricken with the bacterial disease were believed to
be heroin users, said a spokesman at Scotland's Health Protection
Agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government
policy. The agency said other cases were under investigation, but would
not specify how many.
Experts say contaminated heroin or another powder-like substance used to
dilute the drug may have spread the disease. Scottish officials warned
that further cases might be detected beyond Glasgow, where 4 deaths have
occurred. Another 2 people died near Dundee and Forth Valley.
Anthrax is an animal disease and regularly infects people in Africa and
Asia, as well as parts of southern Europe. It can be treated with
antibiotics if caught early, and does not usually spread from person to
person. Left untreated, anthrax can be fatal.
"Heroin users all across Scotland need to be aware of the risks of a
potentially contaminated supply," said Colin Ramsay, a consultant
epidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland in a statement.
Only a handful of anthrax cases have been reported in the United Kingdom
in the past decade. The disease mostly affects people exposed to
contaminated animal hides and other animal products.
"It is highly probable that the contamination of heroin by anthrax is
accidental," said Gordon Meldrum, director general of the Scottish Crime
and Drug Enforcement Agency, in a statement. "Production processes (of
heroin) can be basic and often be conducted in areas where there is
contamination from animal carcasses or feces."
Scottish police said investigations into the anthrax deaths were ongoing.
"We are preparing reports for prosecutors," said David Steele, a
spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers of Scotland.
"Those who supplied the drugs are reluctant to talk, but we will
investigate them fully."
Agencies working to help heroin addicts, like Turning Point Scotland,
said they were scanning more than 120 users a day for signs of anthrax
infection.
"We are checking everyone over," said Beverley Bell, a spokeswoman for
the organization. "It usually reveals itself through little black dots
or spots around the area of injection."
She said the agency was also passing out leaflets about anthrax to
heroin addicts and asking them to warn other users of the risks.
Another bacteria outbreak struck Scottish heroin users in 2000, when an
infected batch of the drug killed 60 people. In 2000, one person in
Norway caught anthrax after injecting contaminated drugs.
In Scotland, authorities said heroin users, rather than the general
public, were most at risk.
"Heroin users do need to be on their guard," said Ramsay. While anthrax
spores can be spread in the air, officials said there was no evidence of
that type of spread in this current outbreak.
"I would advise heroin users to stop using heroin and seek advice,"
Ramsay said.
He said any heroin users who noticed signs of infection - like redness
or swelling around a needle injection site or a fever - should seek
medical help immediately.
The World Health Organization said it was monitoring the situation, but
did not expect the outbreak to spill over into the general public.
---
Associated Press Writer Ben McConville contributed to this report from
Edinburgh.