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Anthrax deaths rise to eight as 17 cases now confirmed
News Stories
- 3rd anthrax case confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway
- 2nd anthrax case confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway
- 10th anthrax death in Scotland
- 22nd anthrax case confirmed in Scotland
- Two new anthrax cases in Scotland - first anthrax fatality confirmed in England
- Ninth Anthrax death confirmed
- Anthrax deaths rise to eight
- Fresh filters reduce anthrax risk, users warned
- Anthrax alert to Glasgow drug users
- Advisory Group recommendations for homelessness and substance use in Scotland
- GBL and other legal highs no longer legal
- Naloxone website in pipeline
- Drug-related deaths in Scotland soar to a new record
- SDF welcomes ban on legal highs
- Kinship care cash should be a welfare benefit, says task group
- More accountability and focus on outcomes for re-named ADATs
- Conference to hear call for Bill of Rights for Scottish drug users
- Drugs and poverty literature review
25 January 2010
THE number of people dying from the deadly anthrax infection affecting heroin users in Scotland has risen to eight, it was confirmed today.
The latest death took place in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, where the anthrax outbreak has claimed the lives of five of the eight dead. The other two are in Tayside and one in Forth Valley health board areas.
Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 17, up from the 15 confirmed by Friday last week. Both new cases were confirmed in Greater Glasgow.
See the
Health Protection Scotland press release here for further details or look up the
Health Protection Scotland anthrax micro-site.
SDF has produced, in association with Health Protection Scotland (HPS), a new briefing document for specialist and non-specialist workers engaging with drug users, entitled
Anthrax and Heroin Users: What Workers Need to Know.
See here for
more details of the workers' anthrax briefing document.
SDF is offering face-to-face group briefing sessions for workers engaged directly with heroin users at risk of infection.
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 the new workers’ briefing document 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.
Agencies interested in organising a workers' briefing session for staff should contact Lisa McKibben at SDF tel 0141 221 1175 e-mail lisa@sdf.org.uk.