inef.ie

Fatal Anthrax Case in Germany Same Strain as Scottish Cases

Tests carried out at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (FLI) on the strain of anthrax isolated from a heroin user who died in Germany in mid December have shown it is indistinguishable from strains isolated from anthrax cases in Scotland. This suggests that the anthrax contamination in both countries, thought to originate in the heroin supply, could share a common source. This could suggest that the contamination of the heroin may have occurred prior to distribution of the heroin in Scotland and Germany, however it does not offer definitive proof.

Download

No anthrax heroin infection cases reported in Ireland

There have been no cases of the often fatal anthrax identified in heroin users in Ireland so far, the Health Protection Surveillance (HPSC) has confirmed, despite fears illicit drug trade links between Scotland; which has so far experienced an increasing number of cases, and Ireland could result in some contaminated batches finding their way onto our shores.

Read the rest of this entry »

1,290 drug seizures in jails last year

Pledges by the Government to remove the scourge of drugs from jails have been ridiculed with figures revealing there were 1,293 drug seizures in prisons last year.

Almost half the drug finds and seizures were made in Mountjoy Prison, the country’s largest jail.
Read the rest of this entry »

Household solvents are as bad as heroin, ecstacy

At least 30 young people have died after sniffing solvents in a bid to get high, according to a report by the Health Research Board, which covers a seven-year period. Among the lethal and volatile substances abused were hairspray, antiperspirant, lighter fluid and industrial solvent.

The report said the majority of volatile-substance users are teenage boys and girls who are still at school and only a small number seek treatment.

Read the rest of this entry »

Luxembourg: drug consumption rooms

Anthrax alert for heroin users in London

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS London can confirm that a drug injecting heroin user has tested positive for anthrax and is being treated in a London hospital.

This is the first case of anthrax seen in an injecting drug user in England since similar cases were first seen in Scotland in December 2009. Nineteen cases have so far been confirmed in Scotland. Similarities to the cases in Scotland suggest that the heroin, or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the heroin, is the likely source of infection.

Read the rest of this entry »

McDaid: Head shops ban will only benefit drug dealers

Banning  synthetic legal drugs, on sale in alternative lifestyle shops, is a mistake and will simply create another layer to the illegal drugs trade, Fianna Fáil TD Jim McDaid has claimed.

The controversial Donegal TD yesterday spoke out on the issue, saying he did not believe they should be shut down or their substances banned as it would simply drive the trade into the hands of drugs dealers.
Read the rest of this entry »

Ban on ‘head shop’ goods due by June

Regulations whichwill outlaw a range of products sold as “legal highs” in “head shops” across the State are to be introduced before June, the Department of Health has said.

A number of synthetic or herbal substances that mimic the effect of illegal drugs are to be brought under the control of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 because of the “ongoing health risks” associated with them, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed last night.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stories from the Supervised Injection Site

Insite is North America’s first legal supervised injection site designed to offer injection drug users a safe, clean
place to inject drugs. Professional nursing staff and counsellors provide a first point of contact for some of the
most marginalized and vulnerable people in Vancouver. Download

From the ground up : Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site’s Role in Accessing Treatment and Care

Canada has long been regarded as a global leader in health care delivery and innovation. Since September 2003, Insite, North America’s first Supervised Injection Site, has kept that tradition alive by offering care to some of Vancouver’s more than 12,000 injection drug users. Health care providers from around the world are looking to Vancouver as a model for how to treat and care for people with chronic addiction and complex health issues.

Download