Drug addict dies of anthrax infection

A drug addict has died from the rare anthrax infection sparking fears of an outbreak of the lethal condition.

The Health Protection Agency confirmed a substance user had died in hospital in Blackpool, after becoming infected with the serious bacterial infection which can become deadly within 24 hours.

It follows another case in Scotland confirmed last month and a spate of cases in Europe this year.

Anthrax is a bacterial infection and is primarily a disease of herbivorous mammals, though other animals and some birds can also contract it. The HPA said the source of the infection is presumed to be contaminated heroin.

Heroin users can develop the condition if the class A drug or its cutting agent is mixed with heroin has become contaminated with anthrax spores. This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked or snorted.

Dr Dilys Morgan, an expert in zoonotic infections at the HPA, said: "It's likely that further cases among PWID (people who inject drugs) will be identified as part of the ongoing outbreak in EU countries.

"The Department of Health has alerted the NHS of the possibility of PWID presenting to emergency departments and walk-in clinics, with symptoms suggestive of anthrax.

"Anthrax can be cured with antibiotics, if treatment is started early. It is therefore important for medical professionals to know the signs and symptoms to look for, so that there are no delays in providing the necessary treatment."

While anthrax is rare in 2010 there was an outbreak of anthrax among heroin addicts in the UK with almost half the known cases proving fatal.

Anthrax is traditionally known as 'wool-sorters disease' after being recognised as an occupational hazard for woollen mill workers, but today the disease occurs most often in wild and domestic animals in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe and humans are rarely infected.