Scottish Drugs Forum
Skip to Content | Skip to Main Navigation
Workers' anthrax briefing aims to save lives
News Stories
- SDF launches Naloxone and Drug Deaths occasional information papers
- SDF wins Scottish Government funding for Naloxone training post
- SDF Director to head UK review of cocaine harm
- SDF wins award for Lanarkshire volunteer opportunities
- Online tool aims to help service quality
- SDF wins EPASS accreditation
- Launch of workers' anthrax briefing
- Quality Development Team Programme gets underway with regional launch events
- Drugs deaths could mask suicide rate among older drug users
- More must be done to prevent drug deaths, urges Scottish Drugs Forum
- SDF HCV project to target at-risk young via social care charities
- Drugs and Poverty Literature Review
- Sterilisation group’s tactics condemned by SDF and others
22 January 2010
SCOTTISH Drugs Forum has produced a new briefing document to help people working with heroin users identify early signs of anthrax and help users seek potentially life-saving medical help.
The move comes as news comes that the deadly outbreak is spreading further across Scotland.
Health Protection Scotland, the agency co-ordinating the response to the outbreak, has
confirmed today the first case in Ayrshire and Arran, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Scotland to 15 to date.
Seven of the 15 have died since the outbreak was first identified in Glasgow in December 2009 - four in Glasgow, two in Tayside and one in Forth Valley health board areas. Other cases have also been confirmed in Lanarkshire and Fife.
The new publication,
Anthrax and Heroin Users: What Workers Need to Know , has been produced in association with
Health Protection Scotland, the agency co-ordinating the response to the outbreak.
A key message to heroin users and those working closely with them is that anthrax can be cured if treatment is started at an early stage.
The new publication aims to provide staff working with heroin users in specialist and non-specialist settings - ranging from treatment and care to homelessness, mental health/suicide prevention/co-morbidity, criminal justice, family support and other relevant services - with key information on:
• how heroin users can become infected
• signs and symptoms of anthrax infection in heroin users
• what workers can do to help.
briefing sessions
SDF is offering face-to-face group briefing sessions for workers engaged directly with heroin users at risk of infection to complement the new briefing document.
Target staff groups including staff in treatment services and also in non-specialist settings such as homelessness support organisations, mental health, criminal justice and other social work/care areas.
These sessions will expand and elaborate on the content of
Anthrax and Heroin Users - What Workers Need to Know and respond to questions from workers.
Stephen Malloy, SDF’s Critical Incidents Officer, will co-ordinate the sessions, which should last between 30 minutes and one hour.
Groups or managers interested in organising a workers' briefing session should contact Lisa McKibben at SDF tel 0141 221 1175 e-mail lisa@sdf.org.uk.
information
You can download
Anthrax and Heroin Users - What Workers Need to Know here. It updates an earlier workers’ factsheet distributed on behalf of HPS.
Anthrax and Heroin Users: What Workers Need to Know will also be available on the HPS anthrax microsite http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/anthrax/index.aspx along with a wide range of other information relating to anthrax and this outbreak.
Advice and information for drug users is available in leaflet and poster form from the
HPS microsite or can be downloaded here
Drug user anthrax leaflet (PDF)
Drug User Anthrax poster (PDF) and photocopied.
Scottish Drugs Forum has sent 30,000 of these printed leaflets to Scotland's drug treatment agencies for distribution to at-risk heroin users.
Specialist and non-specialist agencies who wish to receive further print copies should contact enquiries@sdf.org.uk or tel 0141 221 1175.