The Department of Health has been notified of five cases of injecting drug users who have contracted a rare wound infection - wound botulism. They are currently in hospital being treated. Another injecting drug user, who later died, contracted bacterium Clostridium novyi – another rare wound infection. The source of the infections is likely to be contaminated street heroin.
Botulism is a rare, but potentially fatal, infection caused by toxins (poisons) that are produced by bacteria called clostridium botulinum. Wound botulism occurs when a wound becomes infected with botulism spores. It can also happen as a result of tissue becoming damaged through injecting heroin which then becomes infected.
The Department of Health has urgently issued an alert to general practitioners, local NHS services and to drug treatment services to provide expert advice, to promote vigilance and to provide them with up-to-date advice for injecting drug users.
More information on wound botulism cases in injecting drug users including guidelines for their diagnosis and treatment is available on the Health Protection Agency website here and here”