Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/ar...-infected-heroin-may-come-back-on-market.html
Anthrax outbreak over ? but infected heroin may come back on market
An outbreak of anthrax that claimed the lives of 13 drug addicts has officially been declared over ? but the contaminated heroin that caused it could soon be back on the streets.
The first cases of anthrax poisoning were reported in December last year and there were a total of 47 cases of anthrax poisoning among heroin users over the next seven months, including five in Fife and six in Tayside.
There were a total of 13 deaths caused by the contaminated drug, including two in Tayside and one in Fife. However, no new cases of anthrax poisoning have been reported since July and the national Outbreak Control Team (OCT) has now officially declared the outbreak over.
Yet consultant epidemiologist and chairman of the OCT Dr Colin Ramsay said that, although the outbreak has been declared over, there is still a risk of users purchasing contaminated heroin.
"Anthrax infection must continue to be considered a risk when taking heroin," he said. "There is still no way to prepare or use heroin that will remove this risk, so our advice must be to avoid heroin use...
...But Gareth Balmer, project manager of drugs support agency Addaction, warned that more of the contaminated heroin could still enter circulation. He said dealers could have put the anthrax-infected heroin into storage until the scare has passed...
Anthrax outbreak over ? but infected heroin may come back on market
An outbreak of anthrax that claimed the lives of 13 drug addicts has officially been declared over ? but the contaminated heroin that caused it could soon be back on the streets.
The first cases of anthrax poisoning were reported in December last year and there were a total of 47 cases of anthrax poisoning among heroin users over the next seven months, including five in Fife and six in Tayside.
There were a total of 13 deaths caused by the contaminated drug, including two in Tayside and one in Fife. However, no new cases of anthrax poisoning have been reported since July and the national Outbreak Control Team (OCT) has now officially declared the outbreak over.
Yet consultant epidemiologist and chairman of the OCT Dr Colin Ramsay said that, although the outbreak has been declared over, there is still a risk of users purchasing contaminated heroin.
"Anthrax infection must continue to be considered a risk when taking heroin," he said. "There is still no way to prepare or use heroin that will remove this risk, so our advice must be to avoid heroin use...
...But Gareth Balmer, project manager of drugs support agency Addaction, warned that more of the contaminated heroin could still enter circulation. He said dealers could have put the anthrax-infected heroin into storage until the scare has passed...