The Health Protection Agency said a second case of anthrax had been confirmed in an injecting heroin user in London, adding to two previous cases in England, 24 in Scotland and one in Germany. A total of 12 people have died in Europe of anthrax infection since the first cases emerged in Scotland in December.
European health authorities said in January they believed a batch of heroin was circulating in the region that had been contaminated with anthrax, a fairly common bacteria whose spores can be used as a biological weapon. Experts have said the heroin is unlikely to have been deliberately contaminated.
Rachel Heathcock from the London branch of the HPA stressed there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission in any of the recent anthrax cases and the risk to the general population, including those close to infected patients, was "negligible."
"It is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person," she said in a statement.
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by spores of bacillus anthracis bacteria. It occurs most often in wild and domestic animals in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Humans are rarely infected but touching contaminated hides or hair can cause skin lesions. If the spores are inhaled, the infection can take hold quickly and by the time symptoms show, it can be too late for successful treatment with antibiotics. Lindsey Davies, a director of public health for the British capital, said heroin users needed to be aware of the risks.
"I urge all heroin users in London to be extremely alert to the risks and to seek urgent medical advice if they experience signs of infection such as redness or swelling at or near an injection site or other symptoms... such a high temperature, chills or a severe headache," she said in a statement. "This is a very serious infection for drug users," she added. "Early antibiotic treatment can be lifesaving."
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which monitors health in the European Union, said last month that other EU countries may be at risk.
"Considering the complex international distribution chain of heroin and the link among cases in Scotland and Germany, the exposure to a contaminated batch of heroin distributed in several EU member states is probable," it said on its website.
But it added that it was also possible the German and English cases are due to small amounts of heroin originating from Scotland, "in which case other EU member states than UK and Germany might not be affected."
