Crowds are reportedly gathering at Azadi Square right now. People slowly coming out #IranElection
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Overview: Reading 22 Bahman by HAMID FAROKHNIA in Tehran
[ analysis ] February 11 may mark a decisive day for the Iranian regime. Its leaders hope to prove to domestic and international audiences that they are in full control and that the protest movement that arose following last June's election is a spent force. To achieve their objective, they must make sure, in contrast to what took place on Ashura and other recent occasions, that protesters cannot congregate in large numbers and upstage the regime's well-choreographed processions. In turn, all the protest movement need accomplish to register a victory is to produce even a modest display of vigor and vitality.
Background
Ashura (December 27) proved to be a pivotal day all around. First, it forced other governments, beginning with the Obama Administration, to reevaluate the prevailing view of the pro-democratic Green Movement as an ineffectual force. Second, it allowed the hardliners in Iran to claim that the Green Movement presented a mortal threat to the entire regime. Certain moderate conservatives and important traditionalist high clerics in Qom had previously been leaning toward some version of a grand compromise--a trend especially evident after the huge funeral march for the late Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri right in the heart of the holy city.
However, the militancy of the anti-regime protesters on Ashura changed those sentiments, at least temporarily. Many of the centrists were terrified, while others were forced into adopting strong positions against the protesters. Taking advantage of the situation, hardline forces who had been divided and demoralized hastily mounted a large counter-demonstration on December 30, in which calls were made for the immediate arrest of opposition leaders and the execution of those earlier detained. What made this development particularly ominous was the information that seeped out which pointed to the creation of death squads by forces specifically tasked with the elimination of opposition leaders and activists. The death squads would have taken the form of "independent," "spontaneous" lynch mobs claiming to represent ordinary Muslims outraged by the despoiling of Islamic values.
On January 9, Ayatollah Khamenei took a stand against this development, probably under pressure from Qom grand ayatollahs. "Any roguish activity helps the enemy," he told a visiting crowd from the holy city. "The involvement of those without legal status or responsibility only compounds the problem." The result has been an ongoing stalemate.
What is at stake
The main objective of the regime is to announce that on February 11 the people of Iran by referendum have cast their verdict against the protest movement and in favor of the current regime, reaffirming the message of the December 30 counter-demonstration. Once this occurs, authorities would move to arrest Mousavi, assuming that he hasn't already caved in on his own accord, and forcefully clamp down on the whole Green Movement.
To succeed, they must (a) contain the pro-democracy protesters, (b) fill the surrounding streets with their own people, and (c) make things appear calm and orderly to the state media and ideally to the international media (some foreign journalists and television crews have been allowed in for the event).
What is planned
The regime's hopes of maintaining full control over Thursday's events rest on a set of logistical plans. A complex scheme is to be implemented in which the routes to the northern and eastern sides of Azadi Square, from where protesters customarily emerge, will be blocked for several kilometers in each direction. People trying to make their way to the square via those routes will be diverted away from the eyes of the international press, who will be confined to designated areas within the square. The diversion strategy will be executed with dozens of Basij contingents from the provinces that have been brought to Tehran. Each group has been assigned to one section of the city's northeast quadrant, using Azadi Square as the reference point.
At the same time, supporters of the regime will be marshaled en masse from the western and southern ends of Azadi Square. Two days prior to the ceremonies, the square's famous inner ring was already sealed off by special partitions. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the plan is to fill the space with die-hard supporters while checking the bags and pockets of the others wanting to gain entry to the protected zone to make sure they don't carry any Green paraphernalia.
Campaign of Intimidation
In preparation for the February 11 event, a campaign to intimidate potential protesters has been conducted over the past two weeks. Elements of the campaign include:
(A) The execution of two political prisoners, the first such executions carried out in a long time. Nine others have also been given the death sentence.
(B) Tehran's police chief has on several occasions gone on record claiming that everyone's emails, telephone calls and text messages may be accessed, and that those engaged in anti-regime activities will be immediately arrested. Other top law-enforcement officers have claimed that many people have been arrested based on photos taken of them during the Ashura protests. Indeed, a wave of arrests has taken place in the past two weeks.
(C) Those taking part in protests are now referred to regularly as "mohareb," meaning they are engaged in war on God, an act punishable by death.
(D) The regime now asserts that it will respond very harshly to those protesting. It is hard to accurately gauge the exact impact of these threats and the actual use of violence on the protesters.
Analysis
What the protesters may not realize is that most of the gestures are mere bluffs. Why? The government cannot simply choose to apply severe force on a large scale on February 11 -- after all, the Revolution whose anniversary is being celebrated was supposed to have inspired by the reaction to the violence and injustice of an oppressive regime in the first place. It would look monstrous, even to some supporters of the regime, if unarmed civilians were subjected to indiscriminate attacks recalling those seen in the films of the revolutionary period that have aired incessantly in recent days. On Thursday, up to 250,000 ordinary supporters of the Revolution may come out to the rally, including small children and the elderly. When the line between protester and supporter blurs, as is virtually certain, given such numbers, it will be extremely hard for security forces to throw tear gas and administer beatings.
It is important to know that the security forces have not used the same standard riot-control tactics for every protest action in the last few months. In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the issue of quelling unrest. For the security establishment, each protest has its own special dynamic.
For example, on June 20--after Khamenei's first ultimatum--the protesters were considered fair game. This was no official holiday or national day of ceremonies and the Leader had made his threat public. This day, on which Neda was murdered, saw the largest number of casualties of any day in the past eight months. By contrast, on July 17, the day Rafsanjani was the Friday prayer leader, the protesters had virtually full protection against the regime's predations until about one hour after the conclusion of Rafsanjani's sermon. On September 18, Qods Day, the official celebration of solidarity with the Palestinians, there was relative restraint for many hours. The large-scale employment of violent tactics against protestors in broad daylight on the streets of Tehran would have terminated the utility of the Qods Day once and for all. Of course, by mid-afternoon, after the pro-regime crowd had dispersed, it was an altogether different story. On the national students' day, the regime has traditionally tolerated some protest activity on the country's university campuses. During this year's event, held December 7, students were again able to protest and rally relatively unmolested on campus, but those demonstrating outside school compounds were mercilessly beaten and arrested.
Given this history and the circumstances of the February 11 event, severe, large-scale attacks on protesters are quite unlikely, at least until the regime's loyalists have left the demonstration area. That can be expected to take place around 2 p.m. In sum, despite the recent announcements by various government and senior security officials -- clearly intended to demoralize -- we should not in fact expect systematic violence in the early part of the day.
Aside from this, those recently arrested have all been under surveillance for quite some time and were picked up in the past few days only as an intimidation tactic. This had nothing to do with the police forces' alleged ability to monitor all phone conversations and emails.
Finally, the two executed political prisoners had been arrested before the June 12 election. Unfortunately, they were probably involved with a group connected to the bombing of a mosque in Shiraz last April, and their trial and sentencing were postponed for many months in order to implicate the entire protest movement in their rogue act.
The important fact is that there is no consensus within the regime for executing any of the protesters on death row for the crime of "mohareb" before February 11. Had such a consensus been reached, the regime would have almost certainly carried out the ghastly sentences.
However, the cumulative effect still may be to frighten the parents of the young protesters to stop their children from going out on Thursday. Aware of these maneuvers, Mousavi issued his sharpest criticism of the regime yet in an attempt to offset the impact of its terror tactics. Among many observations, he stated bluntly, "Dictatorship in the name of religion is the worst kind of dictatorship."
At this moment it is impossible to know what may happen on Thursday. All eyes will be on the turnout and the resiliency of the green-clad protesters. Will they defy the threats and fulminations of a desperate dictatorship, or will they remain in the safety of their homes while the regime's henchmen prepare for mass reprisals?
Hamid Farokhnia, who is using a pen name, is a staff writer at the Iran Labor Report.
Google users in Iran report problems, as rallies loom
Google says its e-mail traffic in Iran has dropped sharply, amid reports access is being restricted for the Islamic Revolution's anniversary.
The web giant said that the decline had happened even though its networks were working properly. Opposition websites have urged major demonstrations on the most important day of the nation's political calendar.
Iran's police chief said that some activists had been arrested as they prepared for protests.
Google said users of its Gmail had experienced difficulties following a newspaper report about official restrictions.
'Permanent suspension'
"Whenever we encounter blocks in our services we try to resolve them as quickly as possible," the California-based company said in a statement.
 |  We are closely watching the activities of the sedition movement and several people preparing to disrupt the rallies were arrested  Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam Police chief  |
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran's telecommunications agency had announced "a permanent suspension of Google Inc's e-mail services".
Washington - which on Wednesday extended sanctions against Tehran - said any efforts to keep information from Iranians would fail.
US state department spokesman PJ Crowley said: "Virtual walls won't work in the 21st century any better than physical walls worked in the 20th century."
The 31st anniversary of the revolution could see protests from opposition supporters who say last June's re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged.
Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have called on their supporters to rally on Thursday.
Anti-government websites have urged marchers to display green emblems or clothes - the colour adopted by the opposition movement after the disputed election.
Fatal violence erupted after the poll, and sporadically since then.
The micro-blogging site Twitter and other social networking sites were used extensively during the post-election protests.
Tehran rally
Official events will be held across Iran but the main gathering will be at Tehran's Azadi square, where President Ahmadinejad is expected to speak.
 Opposition supporters have been urged to wear green as they did last June |
Ahead of the commemorations, police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam said the Revolutionary Guards and Basij Islamic militia were ready for any trouble.
"We are fully prepared for holding a safe and glorious rally," he told Fars news agency, according to Reuters news agency.
"We are closely watching the activities of the sedition movement and several people who were preparing to disrupt the 11 February rallies were arrested," he said.
The anniversary comes a day after the US extended Iranian sanctions, aimed at the Revolutionary Guards.
The US Treasury will freeze the assets of a senior Guard commander, as well as four subsidiaries of a construction company he runs.
The move follows the announcement by Iran of its decision to further enrich uranium for its nuclear programme.
Tehran insists it is a civilian energy programme, but the West suspects it of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
The Revolution Will Be Mapped (What discrimination looks like)
(Click to enlarge)
To get to the headquarters of the Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, visitors have to navigate a lengthy dirt road past white picket fences, grazing horses and a variety of outbuildings in various stages of disrepair. Set in a one-room former Primitive Baptist church on a 43-acre spread in rural Orange County, N.C., the institute holds a collection of old, ergonomically incorrect wooden desks and metal filing cabinets. The only signs of modernity are computers atop the desks.
Institute founders Allan Parnell and Ann Joyner, who live in a modest country house a stone’s throw from this office, are dressed in their everyday summer attire, T-shirts and shorts. But when they begin pulling maps off printers, Parnell and Joyner step decidedly out of the last century. “Our daughter tells people we work for the CIA, because what we do is so hard to describe,” Parnell says, only half-joking.
Joyner displays a series of maps showing the Coal Run neighborhood, a handful of streets located just outside the city limits of Zanesville in central Ohio. The first map provides a simple baseline, showing the city water plant and the boundary between the city and Coal Run, a part of Muskingum County. The second map adds water lines, which serve only the northern half of Coal Run. Successive maps add the residences in Coal Run, note which residences have water and which don’t, and break down their occupancy by race.
The last map puts all the data together, and the picture suddenly comes into sharp focus: Almost all the white households in Coal Run have water service, while all but a few black homes do not...
Continue reading
Top 100 - Music w/ Highest Selling Price from Discogs
Being record collectors ourselves, we've paid our fair share of hefty sums for long sought after records that were pressed in shamefully low numbers. We were curious to see if anything we've purchased ranked amongst the highest priced items that have sold in the Discogs Marketplace since we launched in 2005. While we won't say whether or not our purchases made the cut, for the sake of our relationships, we thought you might be interested in seeing this list.I've also added this as a list within Discogs. If you haven't checked out the recently added lists feature, here's a good example of how it might be used.
This list of 100 releases are items that were actually sold and paid for. All prices have been converted to $USD based on exchange rates at the time of sale.
1) $4143 Mistafide - Equidity Funk (12")
2) $2000 Mütiilation - Vampires Of Black Imperial Blood (2xLP, Ltd)
3) $1250 Concept Of AL.P.S., The* - Unknown (12", EP)
4) $1200 Ryvon D.J.* - I'm Gonna Dance (Take Me Tonight) (12")
5) $1200 Weldon Irvine - Time Capsule (LP)
6) $1125 Keefy Keef - Cause I'm Keefy Keef (12")
7) $1051 Les Joyaux De La Princesse - Exposition Internationale - Arts Et Techniques - Paris 1937 (Box, Ltd + 7", Blu + 2xCDr)
8) $1000 La Paris - One Night Lover (12")
9) $999 Cobra MCees - The M-Go / Blow This Town (12")
10) $982 La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano 81 X 25 6:17:50 - 11:18:59 PM NYC (5xLP + Box)
11) $950 California (2) - Volerei (12", Maxi)
12) $885 Throbbing Gristle - Live From The Death Factory (LP, Pic)
13) $851 Phase N' Rhythm - Brainfood / Hyperactive (12")
14) $833 Various - Back To The Lab (LP)
15) $831 Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter (LP)
16) $831 Genocide Organ - Klan Kountry (7", Ltd, Spe)
17) $826 Clarence* - Hyperspace Sound Lab (12")
18) $814 Bill Brandon / Lorraine Johnson - We Fell In Love While Dancing / The More I Get, The More I Want (12", Promo)
19) $799 Pet Shop Boys - Yes (11x12" + Box, Ltd)
20) $796 Throbbing Gristle - Desertshore Installation (12xCDr, Ltd)
21) $754 Genocide Organ - Leichenlinie (LP, Album, Ltd, Han)
22) $750 Mystie - Have I Lost You? / Chains Of Passion / Deception (12")
23) $740 Boards Of Canada - Twoism (LP)
24) $733 Various - Equinox Chapter One (12")
25) $712 Cloud One Featuring Margo Williams - Don't Let My Rainbow Pass Me By (12")
26) $699 Intergalactic Orchestra, The - Super Nova (LP)
27) $697 Death In June / Les Joyaux De La Princesse - Östenbräun (LP + 7" + , Ltd, Bla)
28) $691 Tool (2) - Selections From Ænima (12", Pic, Promo)
29) $685 Stella Steevens - Butterfly (12")
30) $667 M.C. Price & D.J. Trouble* - My Life Story / The Price Is Right (12", Single)
31) $667 Concept Of Alps, The - Intensity (12", Blu)
32) $666 Proiekt Hat - Resolution 3379 (5xLP + 12" + Cass + VHS + Box)
33) $663 Kluster (3) - 1969-1972 (6xLP, Album + Box, Ltd)
34) $661 Pierce Brothers (2) / Starbirth - Party Person / Jammin (12")
35) $653 Ernie Ranglin and DXJ - Phantoms Of The Bass (12")
36) $652 Les Joyaux De La Princesse - Aux Petits Enfants De France (Cass, Ltd)
37) $650 Sensitive (2) - Driving (12")
38) $650 Indikator (2) - The Vision (12", EP)
39) $650 Phill Most Chill - On Tempo Jack (12")
40) $650 Keek & Qagee - Don't Say It Sing It (12")
41) $642 Genocide Organ - A Case Of Ortophedic Fetishism (Acetate, 7", Single, Ltd)
42) $641 Grand Wizard Theodore & Fantastic Romatic Five, The* - Can I Get A Soul Clapp "Fresh Out The Pack" (12")
43) $633 Various - MASK 100 (12", Ltd)
44) $620 Merzbow - Merzbox (50xCD + 2xCD-ROM + Box, Ltd)
45) $620 Gatsby - Love Sign (12")
46) $617 Various - The House Of Hits - The History Of House Music (11xCD, Comp, Ltd, P/Mixed + Box)
47) $609 Corner 2 Corner - Anyday / Corners 2 Corporations (12")
48) $605 Prodigy, The - Scienide (12")
49) $600 3'Da Hard Way - A Dirty Cop Named Harry (12")
50) $590 Various - Music (2xLP + Box)
51) $589 Jack Sass Band* - Save My Life (12")
52) $589 Kraftwerk - 12345678 (Box, Promo + 8xCD, Copy Prot.)
53) $587 Coil - The Restitution Of Decayed Intelligence (Acetate, 12", Ltd)
54) $584 Throbbing Gristle - TG24 (25xCD)
55) $583 Jean Tinguely - Méta (7")
56) $581 Hipnotic (2) - Are You Lonely? (12")
57) $577 Fugatives From Hell - Biz With The Skillz (12")
58) $575 Der Blutharsch - Der Sieg Des Lichtes Ist Des Lebens Heil! (Box, Ltd + 5x7")
59) $560 Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss (LP, Album, Ltd)
60) $554 James "Jack Rabbit" Martin - There Are Dreams And There Is Escape (12", Album)
61) $553 Nurse With Wound - Flawed Existence (4xLP, Comp, Ltd + 10", Red + 5", Red + Box, Sou)
62) $550 Dope And A Gun - Who Got The Flava? / I Get Open (12")
63) $550 Coil - Astral Disaster (LP, Album, Ltd, Red)
64) $547 Ruthless Rod & M.C. Dollar - Loud As A Banshee (12", EP)
65) $540 Acen - Trip To The Moon (Omar Santana Remix) (10", Promo, Ltd, S/Sided)
66) $538 Various - 20' To 2000 (12xMinimax, Lim + 12xCD, Ltd, Com)
67) $533 Michael Jackson - Smile (12")
68) $525 Brothers, The - Brothers Theme (12", Promo)
69) $523 Various - Equinox Chapter One (12")
70) $520 Oasis (2) - Lp Box Set (Box, Ltd + 14xLP)
71) $520 New Sin - Black Fantasy (12")
72) $516 André Szigethy - André Szigethy (LP, Album)
73) $500 Coil - Absinthe Coil (CD, Ltd + Box, Ltd, Woo)
74) $500 Da Minds Of Sol - Blinded By Da Light / Holocaust Part II (12")
75) $500 Derrick May - In 87 (Acetate, 10")
76) $500 Carl Craig - Untitled (Acetate, 10")
77) $500 K-A-T-A - Fires In The Night (12", Maxi)
78) $500 Le Cop - Le Roc / Law (12")
79) $500 Full Body - You Got To Dance (12")
80) $500 Scratch Zone Symphony With M.C. Clock - So Smooth (12")
81) $500 Jackie Stoudemire - Invisible Wind (12")
82) $499 Lord Aaqil - Check It Out (12", EP)
83) $498 Dario Dell'Aere - Eagles In The Night (12")
84) $497 Die Tödliche Doris - Chöre & Soli (8x4", Col + Box)
85) $493 Grand Master Chilly-T & Stevie G (3) / Keeling Beckford Connection - Rock The Message Rap / Back To Back (12")
86) $492 Taj-Mahal Travellers, The - July 15, 1972 (LP, Quad)
87) $492 Phill Most Chill - The Be Intelligent E.P. (12", EP, Ltd)
88) $491 Limit Eccitation - In The Dark (12")
89) $491 Genocide Organ - Save Our Slaves (12" + 7" + , Ltd)
90) $491 Ronnie Love - Let's Make Love / Nothing To It (12", Promo)
91) $491 Jo.Boyer* - Isabelle And The Rain / Milady (12")
92) $491 James "Jack Rabbit" Martin - Only Want To Be (12", Ltd, W/Lbl, Promo)
93) $491 Carl Marshall & S.D.'S, The - I'll Give My Heart To You (LP)
94) $489 Isis (6) - Shades Of The Swarm (Box, Ltd + 12xVinyl, Album, RE, RM)
95) $485 Xymox - Subsequent Pleasures (12")
96) $475 D.J. Baby J & E. Rock Cometh - Tales From The Lite Side (12")
97) $474 SpeedyQ's & Armaguet Nad - Untitled (12", Ltd)
98) $470 High Fidelity (2) - High Fidelity (LP)
99) $469 Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel (LP, Album)
100) $461 M.C. Outloud* - Clean And Sober (12")
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Gearing up for Thursday...
Iran's hard-line government and the green-themed opposition are gearing up for another confrontation Thursday, this time on the 22nd day of the Persian calendar month of Bahman, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
This weekend the Coordinating Council of Reform Front, a coalition that brings together 17 moderate political groups, called on supporters to head to the streets Thursday, traditionally a time of pro-government rallies.
"We’ll come on 22 Bahman to show that the green movement is intertwined with national and religious values and it insists on its rightful demands stipulated in the constitution," said a notice in Persian posted to several websites.
"We’ll come to make our voices heard by our comrades, friends, rivals and enemies -- to tell them that the green movement is independent, and it will spare no efforts to revive and protect the values, implement the law, ensure liberty for the nation and save the society. ... We’ll call for return to ideals and principles instead of jail, violence and confrontation with the nation."
Supporters of the opposition have issued a list of suggestions about what protesters should bring, wear and do Thursday.
Still, many wonder what will happen. Will the protesters come out en masse? Or will the government be able to squelch any opposition demonstrations with a combination of dire threats, harsh police tactics and deafening loudspeakers?
"We oppose hooliganism, disturbing public order and insulting religious sanctities," police chief Brig. Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam said, according to the Persian-language PGNews.ir. "I've already said that police will no longer tolerate lawbreakers. ... Police feel obliged to confront anyone threatening national security, insulting sanctities and crossing red lines."
Ahmadi Moghaddam also warned that police have "highly sophisticated security systems" that allow them to "identify anyone calling for rioting through text messaging."
This weekend, security forces arrested seven people allegedly cooperating with "counterrevolutionary satellite networks and Zionist media," according to a statement broadcast by state radio.
"Some of them had been officially recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency," the statement said. "They had relayed news to their bosses and instigated riots. They were expected to carry out similar programs on Feb. 11 before leaving the country for the United States."
Iran's prosecutor-general, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, told Fars News this weekend that the Tehran prosecutor's office is now "handling the complaint lodged by a group of lawmakers" against opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the latest in a series of threats to have him and other opposition figures arrested.
But a wave of mass arrests of activists and journalists and the threats have failed to silence opposition voices. The Kargozaran party, which supports the relatively moderate cleric Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, issued a statement condemning the government.
"Undesirable and bitter events plunged Iran into unrest," said the statement, published by the Iranian Students News Agency. "A large number of those who were celebrating 31 years ago their contribution to the triumph of the Islamic Revolution have unfortunately been arrested or pushed into isolation."
The statement demanded that the government "respect basic freedoms and civil rights, and tolerate political activism within the framework of the law."
Otherwise, it warned, "people's demands and political differences will be followed up in the streets."
Opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi, who ran and lost against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in last summer's disputed election, lashed out this weekend at the mass detentions of activists and journalists during a meeting with the families of prisoners.
"Such behaviors are irrational and mismanagement of state affairs has plunged everyone deep into surprise," he said, according to his website, Sahamnews.org. "The continuation of these behaviors will be detrimental to the regime."
He said the accusations of connection to foreign-based opposition groups were an attempt by hard-liners to "revive these dead grouplets."
He vowed to secure the release of prisoners regardless of the restrictions imposed on him and his colleagues.
Meanwhile, hard-liners showed no signs of brooking compromise.
Extreme right-wing lawmaker Ruhollah Hosseinian, told ISNA that the critics of the government had no place in the system. "They are in no position to be taken into account," he said.
The extremist cleric Ahmad Khatami told the Iranian Labor News Agency that there was no middle ground in the current political crisis.
"Today, we have only two fronts and no third front is recognized," he said. "The first front brings together the revolution and people. The second front regroups the United States, Britain, Zionists, hypocrites, monarchists, communists, fugitive singers and dancers. There is no third way."
Anthrax alert for heroin users in London
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS London can confirm that a drug injecting heroin user has tested positive for anthrax and is being treated in a London hospital.
This is the first case of anthrax seen in an injecting drug user in England since similar cases were first seen in Scotland in December 2009. Nineteen cases have so far been confirmed in Scotland. Similarities to the cases in Scotland suggest that the heroin, or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the heroin, is the likely source of infection.
Dr Brian McCloskey, Director of the Health Protection Agency in London, said:
"We are working closely with NHS London to monitor the situation. There is no evidence of person to person transmission in this case and I'd like to reassure people that the risk to the general population, including close family members of the infected patient, is negligible. It is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person and there has been no evidence of a significant risk of airborne transmission associated with the current situation in Scotland.
"We are working closely with NHS London to monitor the situation. There is no evidence of person to person transmission in this case and I'd like to reassure people that the risk to the general population, including close family members of the infected patient, is negligible. It is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person and there has been no evidence of a significant risk of airborne transmission associated with the current situation in Scotland.
"While public health investigations are ongoing, it must be assumed that all heroin in London carries the risk of anthrax contamination. Heroin users are advised to cease taking heroin by any route, if at all possible, and to seek help from their local drug treatment services. Heroin users in London are strongly encouraged, as soon as possible, to find out more about the support services in their area. They can be put in touch with local drug services and receive advice by contacting Talk to Frank."
Professor Lindsey Davies, Regional Director of Public Health from NHS London, said:
"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 excessive swelling at or near an injection site, or other symptoms of general illness such a high temperature, chills or a severe headache or breathing difficulties, as early antibiotic treatment can be lifesaving. This is a very serious infection for drug users and prompt treatment is crucial.
"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 excessive swelling at or near an injection site, or other symptoms of general illness such a high temperature, chills or a severe headache or breathing difficulties, as early antibiotic treatment can be lifesaving. This is a very serious infection for drug users and prompt treatment is crucial.
"Drug injecting is an extremely risky and dangerous practice and users are vulnerable to a wide range of infectious diseases, both from the action of piercing the skin, as well as contaminants in the drugs that they use.
"Health professionals and drug action teams in England had already been alerted to the situation in Scotland in December and we will continue to work closely with colleagues who work with drug users to monitor probable cases and raise awareness of the risks."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Further information about the cases of anthrax in Scotland is available at:
www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/anthrax - Heroin users in London are strongly encouraged to find out more about the support services in their area. They can find drug services or seek advice from Talk to Frank: 24-hour helpline: 0800 77 66 00 / website: www.talktofrank.com
- The outbreak in Scotland began with the identification of cases in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde in December 20009, with cases now having been identified in six NHS board areas across the country, and represents the first known outbreak of anthrax to have occurred in conjunction with drug use. It is important to note that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission in this outbreak.
- The Health Protection Agency has produced advice for injecting drug users and guidelines on the clinical evaluation and management of people with possible cutaneous anthrax in England. These are available at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/1191942145749/
- Recent public health alerts issued by the Department of Health through the Central Alerting System are available at: https://www.cas.dh.gov.uk/Home.aspx
Media enquiries:
Health Protection Agency:
020 7759 2834
020 7759 2824
020 8327 6647
020 8327 7750
020 7759 2834
020 7759 2824
020 8327 6647
020 8327 7750
NHS London:
020 7932 3911. Out of office hours, please call 0844 822 2888 and ask for pager number LON01.
020 7932 3911. Out of office hours, please call 0844 822 2888 and ask for pager number LON01.
Anthrax in drug users: Q&A
Q1. What is anthrax?
Anthrax is a very rare but serious bacterial infection caused by the organism Bacillus anthracis. The disease occurs most often in wild and domestic animals in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe; humans are rarely infected. The organism can exist as spores that allow survival in the environment, e.g. in soil, for many years.
Anthrax is a very rare but serious bacterial infection caused by the organism Bacillus anthracis. The disease occurs most often in wild and domestic animals in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe; humans are rarely infected. The organism can exist as spores that allow survival in the environment, e.g. in soil, for many years.
Q2. How does anthrax usually affect humans?
There are three classical forms of human disease depending on how infection is acquired: cutaneous (skin), inhalation and ingestion. In over 95% of cases the infection is cutaneous, generally caught by direct contact with the skins or tissues of infected animals. Inhalation anthrax is rare and is caught by breathing in anthrax spores. Intestinal anthrax is very rare, and occurs from ingestion of contaminated meat or spores.
There are three classical forms of human disease depending on how infection is acquired: cutaneous (skin), inhalation and ingestion. In over 95% of cases the infection is cutaneous, generally caught by direct contact with the skins or tissues of infected animals. Inhalation anthrax is rare and is caught by breathing in anthrax spores. Intestinal anthrax is very rare, and occurs from ingestion of contaminated meat or spores.
Q3. How has anthrax been affecting drug users in Scotland?
There is an ongoing outbreak of anthrax in heroin users in Scotland. Since December 2009, a significant number of heroin users have been found to have anthrax infection. Sadly, a number of these people have died. It is thought that they contracted anthrax from taking heroin contaminated by anthrax spores.
There is an ongoing outbreak of anthrax in heroin users in Scotland. Since December 2009, a significant number of heroin users have been found to have anthrax infection. Sadly, a number of these people have died. It is thought that they contracted anthrax from taking heroin contaminated by anthrax spores.
Q4. How common is anthrax?
The disease was also known as 'wool-sorters disease' and was a recognised occupational hazard for some workers, including woollen mill workers, abattoir workers, tanners, and those who process hides, hair, bone and bone products. However, anthrax is now uncommon in humans in the UK, only a handful of cutaneous cases have been notified over the last decade. A death from anthrax occurred in Scotland in 2006; this was a case of atypical inhalation anthrax which probably followed exposure as a result of playing/handling animal hide drums. Human infections are more frequent in countries where the disease is common in animals, including countries in South and Central America, southern and eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
Anthrax in drug users appears to be very rare; prior to the current outbreak in Scotland, only one previous case had been reported in Norway in 2000.
The disease was also known as 'wool-sorters disease' and was a recognised occupational hazard for some workers, including woollen mill workers, abattoir workers, tanners, and those who process hides, hair, bone and bone products. However, anthrax is now uncommon in humans in the UK, only a handful of cutaneous cases have been notified over the last decade. A death from anthrax occurred in Scotland in 2006; this was a case of atypical inhalation anthrax which probably followed exposure as a result of playing/handling animal hide drums. Human infections are more frequent in countries where the disease is common in animals, including countries in South and Central America, southern and eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
Anthrax in drug users appears to be very rare; prior to the current outbreak in Scotland, only one previous case had been reported in Norway in 2000.
Q5. How long can you have the infection before developing symptoms?
This is dependent on the dose and route of exposure and may vary from one day to eight weeks. However, symptoms usually develop within 48 hours with inhalation anthrax and 1-7 days with cutaneous anthrax. It is not known exactly how long symptoms can take to develop following the use of contaminated heroin, however in most cases during the current outbreak, symptoms started within 1 to 7 days of taking heroin.
This is dependent on the dose and route of exposure and may vary from one day to eight weeks. However, symptoms usually develop within 48 hours with inhalation anthrax and 1-7 days with cutaneous anthrax. It is not known exactly how long symptoms can take to develop following the use of contaminated heroin, however in most cases during the current outbreak, symptoms started within 1 to 7 days of taking heroin.
Q6. What are the symptoms?
Early identification of anthrax can be difficult as the initial symptoms are similar to other illnesses.
Symptoms vary according to the route of infection:
Early identification of anthrax can be difficult as the initial symptoms are similar to other illnesses.
Symptoms vary according to the route of infection:
Anthrax in drug users
Drug users may become infected with anthrax when heroin or the cutting agent mixed with heroin has become contaminated with anthrax spores. This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked or snorted. The clinical presentation is likely to vary according to the way in which the heroin is taken and might include:
Drug users may become infected with anthrax when heroin or the cutting agent mixed with heroin has become contaminated with anthrax spores. This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked or snorted. The clinical presentation is likely to vary according to the way in which the heroin is taken and might include:
- Swelling and redness at an injection site, which may or may not be painful
- Abscess or ulcer at an injection site often with marked swelling (oedema)
- Septicaemia (blood poisoning)
- Meningitis
- Symptoms of inhalational anthrax (see below)
Cutaneous anthrax - Local skin involvement after direct contact.
- Commonly seen on hands, forearms, head and neck. The lesion is usually single
- 1-7 days after exposure a raised, itchy, inflamed pimple appears followed by a papule that turns vesicular (into a blister). Extensive oedema or swelling accompanies the lesion - the swelling tends to be much greater than would normally be expected for the size of the lesion and this is usually PAINLESS
- The blister then ulcerates and then 2-6 days later the classical black eschar develops
- If left untreated the infection can spread to cause blood poisoning
Inhalation anthrax - symptoms begin with a flu-like illness (fever, headache, muscle aches and non-productive cough) followed by severe respiratory difficulties and shock 2-6 days later. Untreated disease is usually fatal, and treatment must be given as soon as possible to reduce mortality.
Intestinal anthrax is contracted by the ingestion of contaminated carcasses and results in severe disease which can be fatal. This is found in some parts of the world where the value of an animal dying unexpectedly outweighs any fears of contracting the disease.
Q7. Can anthrax be treated?
Cutaneous anthrax can be readily treated and cured with antibiotics. Mortality is often high with inhalation and gastrointestinal anthrax, since successful treatment depends on early recognition of the disease.
Prompt treatment with antibiotics and, where appropriate, surgery is important in the management of anthrax related to drug use.
Cutaneous anthrax can be readily treated and cured with antibiotics. Mortality is often high with inhalation and gastrointestinal anthrax, since successful treatment depends on early recognition of the disease.
Prompt treatment with antibiotics and, where appropriate, surgery is important in the management of anthrax related to drug use.
Q8. How is anthrax spread?
A person can get anthrax if they inject, inhale, ingest or come into direct physical contact (touching) with the spores from the bacteria. These spores can be found in the soil or in contaminated drugs. It is extremely rare for anthrax to spread from person-to-person. Airborne transmission from one person to another does not occur; there have been one or two reports of spread from skin anthrax but this is very, very rare.
A person can get anthrax if they inject, inhale, ingest or come into direct physical contact (touching) with the spores from the bacteria. These spores can be found in the soil or in contaminated drugs. It is extremely rare for anthrax to spread from person-to-person. Airborne transmission from one person to another does not occur; there have been one or two reports of spread from skin anthrax but this is very, very rare.
Q9. How do drug users become infected with anthrax?
Heroin or the cutting agent mixed with heroin may become contaminated with anthrax spores from the environment. This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked, or snorted.
Heroin or the cutting agent mixed with heroin may become contaminated with anthrax spores from the environment. This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked, or snorted.
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