EU - ECDC alert on OSH risks from Anthrax to workers 03.02.2010
ECDC and EMCDDA jointly issue warning of infection risks in laboratory workers and drug users
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. In most industrialized countries, anthrax is a rare disease, and infection in humans is usually due to occupational exposure to infected animals or their products.
The European agency for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction EMCDDA are jointly conducting a risk assessment and monitoring the current situation.
Assessments are available on the Website of ECDC
Latest assessment Anthrax outbreak among drug users in Scotland and Germany, 20 January 2010
Following alerts in Scotland and England, information was sent out to hospitals, GPs, emergency departments, microbiologists, and drug services to raise awareness and to request that cases of severe soft tissue infection or sepsis affecting an injecting drug user are reported to their local public health authority.
In Germany, an epidemiological investigation was launched by the Robert Koch Institute, which includes distribution of information to hospitals, GPs, emergency departments, microbiologists and low threshold facilities was launched in order to raise awareness, gain more thorough information and search for suspected cases.
The joint ECDC / EMCDDA risk assessment comes to the following conclusions:
- what is currently known is that there is likely a contaminated batch of heroin circulating in the MS.
- the anthrax contaminated batches of drugs are most likely due to accidental contamination and not deliberate release. There is a complex international distribution chain of heroin, and the clustering in time of cases in Scotland and Germany, the exposure to a contaminated batch of heroin distributed in several EU Member States is possible. Therefore, it is likely that additional cases will still be identified in the near future, in the UK and potentially in Germany and other Member States.
- It can also be assumed, that since anthrax infections in drug users is not a frequent event, persons who deal in the chain of procedures for drug analysis in laboratories may not suspect anthrax to be present in samples that they perform routine tests on.
- The epidemiological data suggests that infection via inhalational route with anthrax-contaminated material is possible.
ECDC and key partners have already identified steps to take to further monitor and act in this situation.
For more information go to the ECDC website
