News (Media Awareness Project) - UK: Irish Link In Deaths Of Heroin Addicts |
| Title: | UK: Irish Link In Deaths Of Heroin Addicts |
| Published On: | 2000-05-31 |
| Source: | Daily Telegraph (UK) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-03 21:21:31 |
IRISH LINK IN DEATHS OF HEROIN ADDICTS
AN illness among heroin addicts in Glasgow has claimed another life,
bringing the number of deaths to 12, health officials said yesterday.
The outbreak is now being linked to seven deaths in Dublin of drug users.
Twenty six addicts in Glasgow and 14 drug users in Dublin have been
affected. Health officials in Glasgow have spoken to their counterparts in
Ireland and have concluded that the two outbreaks were likely to have the
same cause.
American experts have been called in to help both investigations. Tissue
samples from people affected by the illness have been sent to the Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A spokesman for Greater
Glasgow Health Board said: "It is the leading centre for the investigation
of unexplained outbreaks of illness".
Dr Laurence Gruer, Greater Glasgow Health Board's public health consultant,
said: "Much of the evidence points towards the Glasgow cases being caused by
a contaminant of some of the heroin recently available in certain parts of
the city. From the information we have received from Dublin, the pattern of
cases there seems almost identical. I am very hopeful that by working with
our Irish colleagues and the CDC we will be able to establish what is
causing these outbreaks."
Dr Joe Barry, health medicine specialist with Eastern Regional Health Board
in Ireland, backed his Scottish colleague's views. He said: "We agree that
we seem to be dealing with the same phenomenon in both cities and we very
much value our collaboration with investigators in Scotland".
The illness in Glasgow emerged at the beginning of the month, with 17 of the
26 cases of the illness affecting women, who make up eight of the 12 dead
addicts. All are believed to have injected directly into muscle tissue and
have suffered severe inflammation around the site of the injection, followed
by shock.
Tests last week at the Government's chemical warfare research centre in
Porton Down ruled out anthrax, which scientists had suggested may have
caused the Glasgow outbreak.
AN illness among heroin addicts in Glasgow has claimed another life,
bringing the number of deaths to 12, health officials said yesterday.
The outbreak is now being linked to seven deaths in Dublin of drug users.
Twenty six addicts in Glasgow and 14 drug users in Dublin have been
affected. Health officials in Glasgow have spoken to their counterparts in
Ireland and have concluded that the two outbreaks were likely to have the
same cause.
American experts have been called in to help both investigations. Tissue
samples from people affected by the illness have been sent to the Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A spokesman for Greater
Glasgow Health Board said: "It is the leading centre for the investigation
of unexplained outbreaks of illness".
Dr Laurence Gruer, Greater Glasgow Health Board's public health consultant,
said: "Much of the evidence points towards the Glasgow cases being caused by
a contaminant of some of the heroin recently available in certain parts of
the city. From the information we have received from Dublin, the pattern of
cases there seems almost identical. I am very hopeful that by working with
our Irish colleagues and the CDC we will be able to establish what is
causing these outbreaks."
Dr Joe Barry, health medicine specialist with Eastern Regional Health Board
in Ireland, backed his Scottish colleague's views. He said: "We agree that
we seem to be dealing with the same phenomenon in both cities and we very
much value our collaboration with investigators in Scotland".
The illness in Glasgow emerged at the beginning of the month, with 17 of the
26 cases of the illness affecting women, who make up eight of the 12 dead
addicts. All are believed to have injected directly into muscle tissue and
have suffered severe inflammation around the site of the injection, followed
by shock.
Tests last week at the Government's chemical warfare research centre in
Porton Down ruled out anthrax, which scientists had suggested may have
caused the Glasgow outbreak.
Member Comments |
No member comments available...
