It has been confirmed that an injecting drug user in London has contracted Anthrax after using contaminated heroin. This case, the first reported in England, follows the recent outbreak in Scotland where 19 heroin users were infected with anthrax, nine of whom died from the infection.
The Department of Health is urging drug services and health professionals to be alert to the possibility of anthrax infection in injecting drug users presenting with severe soft tissue infections or sepsis. Services dealing with heroin users displaying the smptoms are advised to refer to an A&E department or GP for urgent assessment. GPs and A&E departments who see patients presenting with these symptoms are being advised to contact their local microbiologist for advice on management. .
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) website has produced algorithms for the clinical evaluation and management of drug users with possible anthrax infections and has provided advice for drug users at risk. You can access them at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1191942145757
The anthrax outbreak was first identified in December 2009 in Greater Glasgow.Cases have now been confirmed in Fife, the Forth Valley, Lanarkshire, Tayside and Ayrshire and Arran.
Working with Health Protection Scotland (HPS), the Scottish Drugs Forum have produced a new briefing document for specialist and non-specialist workers engaging with drug workers, entitled Anthrax and Heroin Users: What Workers Need to Know.It contains information on how heroin users can become infected, the signs and symptoms of infection and what workers can do to help.Anthrax can be cured if treatment is started at an early stage, so this information could save lives.
The Scottish Drugs Forum have also produced a poster and leaflet for drug service users informing them what to look out for and how to respond.
You can find this information on the resources section of the HPS anthrax microsite, see below.
