Anthrax spores: 7th person dead
A seventh person with anthrax has died as infection among heroin users continues to claim lives across Scotland.
Another case has been confirmed in the NHS Fife area, bringing the total number of infected people to 14, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) said.
The outbreak began in Glasgow but doctors now believe contaminated heroin is circulating Scotland.
The latest person to die was from the NHS Tayside area, where one other person with anthrax has died. Four people with anthrax have died in the Glasgow area and one in the Forth valley region.
Five people are being treated in hospital for anthrax, while two have been discharged.
Health officials urged heroin users to be alert but said the risk to the general public is low.
Dr Colin Ramsay, consultant epidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland, said: "Cases of anthrax infection have now been confirmed in five health board areas across Scotland, indicating that heroin users all across the country need to be aware of the risks of a potentially contaminated supply.
"I would urge all users to stop using heroin immediately and contact local drug support services for help in stopping. If any heroin users do notice signs of infection, for example marked redness and swelling around an injection site or other signs of serious infection such as a high fever, they should seek urgent medical advice."
It is thought that contaminated heroin or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the drug may be responsible for the anthrax infections.
Heroin is often produced in countries where anthrax is more prevalent in animals. Bone meal, an animal product, is sometimes used as a cutting agent.
The first victim, a man, died in Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow on December 16.
HPS said it is extremely rare for anthrax to be passed from person to person and there is no evidence of any airborne transmission in the current outbreak.
