The death of a drug user in Denmark from what is believed to be a batch of heroin contaminated by anthrax has prompted a warning from Swedish health authorities to the country’s heroin users.
The warning, issued Monday by communicable disease control officials in Skåne in southern Sweden comes following the death of a 55-year-old Danish heroin user at a hospital in Copenhagen.
“Copenhagen and Malmö are very close so after the death in Denmark, we thought it best to warn heroin users here about the possible risks,” Håkan Ringberg, an infectious disease doctor with Smittskydd Skåne, told The Local.
The Danish drug user died on Sunday after being treated for several days in a Copenhagen hospital. Traces of anthrax were subsequently found in the man’s blood.
According to Ringberg, the infection can’t spread between people and the warning is directed primarily at heroin users who inject the drug.
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See Also:
Drug activists take to streets after anthrax found in heroin
British anthrax heroin in Germany
I found this story alarming because I had heard nothing about heroin laced with anthrax until I picked up on it the other day (perhaps I live a sheltered life). A quick search turned up a number of stories originating in Europe but nothing I could find for North America.
My reason for posting is not to cause a mass panic. Rather, I wanted to remind people who have a “need to know” that this crap is out there. It would appear from the stories originating in Europe that Afghan heroin is suspected of being “accidently” contaminated by anthrax as the drug is smuggled in sheep skins.
To me that sounds about right. Let’s be very happy they don’t have any bison.
More research is needed but my first thought was that any coroner in North America investigating a heroin death should also be screening for anthrax. They may already be doing so but if not “why not” now that people are becoming aware?
Just asking.