A GWYNEDD man who injected himself with drugs, thought to be heroin, has contracted an anthrax infection.
Public Health Wales today (Thursday, September 6) said the man was in a stable condition at a hospital in the North West of England.
The authority and health boards have issued alerts to substance misuse groups across Wales to warn them of the danger of contaminated heroin.
Consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, Dr Chris Whiteside said: “It’s likely that further cases among people who inject drugs will be identified as part of the ongoing outbreak in EU countries.
Dr Whiteside added The Department of Health had alerted the NHS of the possibility of drug users presenting to emergency departments and walk-in clinics, with symptoms suggestive of anthrax.
He said: “Although a very serious disease, anthrax responds to antibiotics and patients have a better chance of recovery if treatment is started early.
“It is therefore important for medical professionals to know the signs and symptoms to look for, so that there are no delays in providing the necessary treatment.”
People can become infected through the skin, inhalation, injection or by ingesting anthrax spores. The symptoms of anthrax vary depending on the route of infection
is not yet clear whether the case is linked to recent cases in Blackpool and Scotland.