03/11/2012 15:48
Fifth UK drug user infected with anthrax
A drug user in Oxford is recovering from an anthrax infection after injecting heroin, say health experts, according to BBC.
The case comes after two people who injected drugs died from anthrax infections in Blackpool in August and September.
The Health Protection Agency said there was an ongoing outbreak of anthrax infections amongst drug users in Europe with 12 cases so far, five in the UK.
The HPA says heroin can be contaminated by anthrax spores.
There have now been three cases in England (one of which was fatal), one in Scotland and one in Wales.
Four cases have also been seen in Germany, two in Denmark and one in France, but health experts are still waiting to see if these are connected.
However the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) have concluded that heroin users in Europe are still at risk of exposure to anthrax.