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.
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.
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