MORE RESOURCES NEEDED IN CITY AS DRUG ILLNESS CLAIMS EIGHTH

HOSPITALS remain on alert after another death from the mystery illness
striking heroin addicts was confirmed yesterday.

Officials from the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) have now
formally identified 15 cases of the illness among heroin users in the region.

A female drug user who died on Wednesday morning was yesterday identified
as the second woman to die and the eighth fatality in total. A further four
people are still receiving treatment in hospital and three others have been
discharged.

Tests concluded yesterday ruled out the illness as the cause of 11 other
drugs related deaths investigated by the ERHA, but the most recent death
dashed hopes that the illness had run its course as it was the first fresh
case in a week.

The Fianna Fail chairman of the ERHA, Ivor Callely, warned last night that
the level of extra staffing and resources being put into drug treatment
services to meet the crisis could not be sustained indefinitely.

The authority has assigned extra outreach workers to parts of Dublin where
heroin addicts are known to be continuing to inject the drug despite
warnings to either smoke it or switch to methadone.

Extended hours, extra rooms and additional staff have also been made
available at a number of the city's 15 treatment clinics and extra mobile
units are on the road.

But while Deputy Callely was confident that the cause of the illness would
be identified soon, opposition members said a more comprehensive response
to the crisis was required.

"We have a Dublin wide emergency situation on our hands and the Government
must take the responsibility for dealing with it," said Labour Party
spokesman on social affairs, Tommy Broughan.

"Only those presenting themselves for treatment are actually getting
updated information of the risks of injecting heroin. The vast majority of
addicts are not in contact with treatment and do not keep up to date with
media reportage on the issue."

Deputy Broughan called for additional staff to be deployed to work with
voluntary and community organisations on the ground in making contact with
addicts not attending the clinics.

Deputy Callely defended the official response to the problem, saying while
he was greatly concerned about the deaths, he was satisfied the ERHA was
reacting adequately.

But he called on the families, friends and acquaintances of drug users to
play their part in driving the safety message home. "It's only by everyone
participating that we will be able to address the situation."

The ERHA remains in close co operation with the Center for Disease Control
in the United States and health officials in Glasgow, where 13 deaths have
taken place out of 30 cases of the illness.

Experts now believe the characteristics of the illness point to a bacterial
infection but they have yet to pinpoint the bacteria responsible.

- - An ERHA freephone helpline for users concerned about their symptoms has
been set up at 1800 459 459.