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Volume 4 No 10; 12 March 2010

Anthrax alert for heroin users – an update


Cases of anthrax in heroin users have continued to occur since the first case was reported in Glasgow in December 2009. To date there have been 29 cases of anthrax in heroin users in the UK, eleven of which were fatal. Twenty-six cases have been reported in Scotland (from seven Health Boards) and three in England (two in London and one in Blackpool). No cases have yet been reported from Wales or Northern Ireland.

The Health Protection Agency continues to work closely with NHS colleagues, public health organisations in the devolved administrations, and the police as part of the nationwide investigation.

As cases continue to be diagnosed it is clear that contaminated heroin is still in circulation, and clinicians and microbiologists are encouraged to remain alert to the possibility of anthrax in drug users with appropriate signs and symptoms.

Guidance has been developed with Health Protection Scotland for many aspects of the investigation and management of cases. A range of documents including advice on clinical presentations, control of infection, and laboratory investigations are available on the HPA website [1].

Updates on cases in reported in Scotland are published daily on the Health Protection Scotland website [2].


References

1. http://www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/1265637163487.

2. http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/anthrax/index.aspx.

Confirmed measles in England and Wales – update to end-January 2010

No measles cases were confirmed in England and Wales in January 2010, continuing the low incidence in the previous two months: December 2009 (one case) and November 2009 (two cases).

There were 140 notifications of suspected measles in January 2010 and 128 saliva swabs were tested in the Centre for Infections. Of these five samples were IgM reactive. In all five cases, clinical symptoms and results were attributable to recent MMR vaccination.