Renewed alert issued on batch of fatal heroin
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A national alert has been issued, warning that contaminated heroin blamed for more than 30 deaths last year could be back on the streets of Britain. Health officials, doctors and police chiefs have been asked by the Government to be on guard for the drug.
Glasgow was at the centre of last year's scare, with the infected batch claiming the lives of 18 intravenous drug-users.
Within weeks there were links to deaths in Liverpool, Manchester, Aberdeen and Dublin, prompting fears that drug dealers had switched to other markets.
The alarm has been raised again after a drug-user in Glasgow was taken ill this month with similar symptoms.
Mary O'Mahony, head of the Department of Health's communicable diseases branch, has written to GPs and staff in hospital accident and emergency units to tell them to be on the lookout for more cases.
She tells them: "It is possible that parts of a batch of heroin, that may have been responsible for a number of deaths from severe systemic sepsis in injecting drug-users last year in Scotland, Ireland and various parts of England, may be being circulated on the drugs market again."
Ms O'Mahony adds: "Heroin users in your area should (via services for drug-misusers) be warned of the possibility of being sold contaminated heroin."
Meanwhile, the Home Office has passed on the warning to all police forces in the United Kingdom.
Detectives in Merseyside are investigating unconfirmed reports that the contaminated batch is back in circulation after being hidden in Liverpool, regarded as the centre of the British heroin trade.
The warnings is understood to have been relayed to the authorities in Dublin, whose drug trade is traditionally linked to Glasgow and Liverpool.
The drug users affected last year had injected directly into a muscle or under their skin. The heroin they used is believed to have originated in Afghanistan and been infected with bacterium Clostridium novii, which caused severe ulcers or abscesses and often death within days. For a while, anthrax was being considered as a possible contaminant.
In Glasgow it claimed the lives of 10 men and eight women aged between 19 and 28.
After addicts started dying, the dealers are thought to have panicked, sold off stocks and switched to other markets in England and Ireland.
But after August there were no more reported cases, leading police to believe that the contaminated batch had been destroyed or hidden. The alarm has been raised again because a tissue sample from a seriously ill addict in the west of Scotland contained traces of the fatal bacterium.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments