This is serious...UPDATESome Scottish smack seems to be contaminated with anthrax

Contaminated heroin may have caused an anthrax outbreak among drug addicts in Scotland, killing six people and infecting 12 in total, health officials said Thursday.

All of the people stricken with the bacterial disease were believed to be heroin users, said a spokesman at Scotland's Health Protection Agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. The agency said other cases were under investigation, but would not specify how many.

Experts say contaminated heroin or another powder-like substance used to dilute the drug may have spread the disease. Scottish officials warned that further cases might be detected beyond Glasgow, where 4 deaths have occurred. Another 2 people died near Dundee and Forth Valley.

Anthrax is an animal disease and regularly infects people in Africa and Asia, as well as parts of southern Europe. It can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, and does not usually spread from person to person. Left untreated, anthrax can be fatal.

"Heroin users all across Scotland need to be aware of the risks of a potentially contaminated supply," said Colin Ramsay, a consultant epidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland in a statement.

Only a handful of anthrax cases have been reported in the United Kingdom in the past decade. The disease mostly affects people exposed to contaminated animal hides and other animal products.

"It is highly probable that the contamination of heroin by anthrax is accidental," said Gordon Meldrum, director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, in a statement. "Production processes (of heroin) can be basic and often be conducted in areas where there is contamination from animal carcasses or feces."

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I am not trying to stop yr buzz I am just saying PLEASE be careful!