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Heroin contaminated with anthrax has killed 11 people

BMJ 2010; 340 doi: 10.1136/bmj.c937 (Published 15 February 2010)
Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c937

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  1. Bryan Christie
  1. 1Edinburgh

    Eleven people have died from the first ever drug related outbreak of anthrax caused by contaminated heroin, which is thought to be still circulating in Europe.

    Since December 10 deaths have been reported among injecting drug users in the United Kingdom and one in Germany. Only one case of anthrax infection in a drug user has ever been reported previously—from Norway in 2000.

    The problem first appeared in Scotland in early December, and since then 21 cases have been confirmed in six separate Scottish …

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