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1 March 2010 |
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www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Anthrax death toll hits double figures
The number of people to have died in the ongoing anthrax
outbreak (
DDN
, 18 January, page 4) has reached 11, with
the death of a patient in the NHS Fife area. Ten people have
now died in Scotland, as well as a fatal case in Blackpool
(
DDN
, 15 February, page 4).
As
DDN
went to press, the total number of anthrax
cases in Scotland stood at 24, following the confirmation of
a case in the NHS Dumfries and Galloway board area. The
case is the first in the area, indicating that the outbreak is
continuing to spread, say Health Protection Scotland and
NHS Scotland. A confirmed case in London (
DDN
, 15
February, page 4) brings the UK total to 26.
The spread of the outbreak to a new area ‘emphasises
that contaminated heroin appears still to be in circulation,’
says Health Protection Scotland. ‘There is no way to tell if
your heroin is contaminated and there is no way to prepare or
take heroin that will make it safe if it has anthrax
contamination,’ said head of the outbreak control team and
consultant epidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland, Dr
Colin Ramsay. ‘Drug users are advised to stop taking heroin if
at all possible. While we appreciate that this may be
extremely difficult advice to follow, it remains the only public
health protection advice possible due to the nature of
anthrax infection. It must be noted that filters will not make
heroin safe or remove all traces of anthrax contamination, so
the best advice remains not to use heroin by any method.’
Drugs agencies have called on the Scottish Government
to implement an emergency public health plan in response
to the outbreak (
DDN
, 1 February, page 4) including the
prescription of appropriate alternatives to street heroin,
such as dihydrocodeine.
Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Scottish Government
has told
The Scotsman
newspaper that it will work with any
health boards that see a significant increase in demand for
drug treatment ‘to ensure they are able to respond
appropriately’. Ayrshire and Arran health board had
requested £500,000 to cut waiting lists for methadone
treatment, the newspaper claims.
Scottish liver disease
trebles in 15 years
and is still rising
Scotland’s rate of chronic liver disease has almost trebled
in the last 15 years and is still rising, according figures
released by NHS information centre ISD Scotland.
More than 9,000 people had hospital treatment for
the disease in 2008 and the condition was the cause of
more than 1,000 deaths, says ISD Scotland, while death
rates among 30 to 39-year-olds have risen by almost five
times since 1984. Chronic liver disease rates in most other
European countries have fallen over the same periods.
Other figures released by the division show that alcohol-
related hospital discharges have risen by 9 per cent over the
last five years, with an average of 115 discharges a day
across the country. Discharges rose by 22 per cent among 30
to 34-year-olds and 19 per cent among 35 to 39-year-olds.
The cost of alcohol misuse in Scotland has been
estimated at £3.6bn per year, the equivalent of £900 for
every adult. The government’s Alcohol Bill, which includes
proposals for a minimum price per unit of alcohol (
DDN
,
30 November 2009, page 4), is currently making its way
through the Scottish Parliament.
‘These shocking statistics make grim reading and
provide yet more evidence that we must turn the tide of
alcohol harm,’ said health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.
‘Scotland’s love affair with drink is well documented and
we’re taking radical and decisive action to tackle pocket-
money prices which – as the World Health Organization
recognises – help to drive consumption and harm.’
‘Most worrying’ was the increase in alcohol-related ill
health in young people, she said. ‘Cheap alcohol is making a
serious situation even worse. By linking price to product
strength, minimum pricing will put an end to the sale of
high-strength alcohol for less than the cost of bottled water.’
£3 Welsh binge
Irresponsible drinking promotions in
Wales are creating an ‘unsafe drinking
culture’, according to a new report by
Alcohol Concern. Half of the venues in
Newport, Swansea and Wrexham
surveyed for
Counting the cost –
irresponsible alcohol promotions in the
night time economy in Wales
offered
alcohol promotions, while only 12 per
cent offered discounts on non-alcoholic
drinks. Alcohol sometimes cost less
than the cheapest soft drink, with 12
venues offering spirits – sometimes
doubles – for £1, and four offering
pints for the same amount. ‘A woman
could drink more than twice the
recommended daily amount of alcohol
– the usual definition of a binge – for
just £3 and a man could binge for as
little as £4,’ said policy manager
Andrew Misell. www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
Social workers: ‘train us’
A lack of drug and alcohol content in
their training, both pre- and post-
qualification, means that many social
workers feel unequipped to deal with
clients with substance problems,
according to the British Association of
Social Workers (BASW). Alcohol and
drug issues were ‘not just the remit of
health and criminal justice colleagues,’
said chair of BASW’s alcohol and drug
special interest group, Dr Sarah
Galvani. ‘It is vital that well-trained and
well-supervised social workers are able
to respond effectively and confidently
to support those affected,’ she said.
Tax cut call
The British Beer and Pub Association
has called on the government to lower
rates of duty on beer to support pubs
and promote economic recovery. Beer
should be taxed at a lower rate to
‘reflect its status as a low-strength, UK-
produced product’,
says the
association. Beer duty had increased
by 14 per cent in real terms since
1997 while the duty on spirits had
fallen by 20 per cent, it says.
Watch this space
Rugby-based drug and alcohol charity
Swanswell has been given ‘one to
watch’ status in the 2010 Best
Companies accreditation, based on
staff feedback. ‘We’d like to
congratulate Swanswell on their
outstanding achievement,’ said Best
Companies CEO Jonathan Austin.
www.bestcompanies.co.uk
News in Brief
Every local authority is to receive a good practice guide to
help them work with the police, trading standards, and
youth and children’s services to try and cut levels of
underage drinking, the government has announced.
Sixty-nine youth crime action plan (YCAP) areas will
also receive an extra £350,000 in funding to help police
enforce alcohol powers.
More than 2,000 young people will also to take part in
a ‘Kickz’ football tournament at the Emirates stadium in
London, designed to provide a ‘positive alternative to
drinking alcohol’. The government recently launched a
national advertising campaign,
Why let drink decide?
to
raise awareness among young people of alcohol-related
risks (
DDN
, 18 January, page 5).
‘We have given the police all the powers they need to
crack down on young people drinking alcohol,’ said
schools minister Vernon Coaker. ‘In the last six months of
2009 alone over 6,000 litres of alcohol were confiscated
from young people in our YCAP areas as part of the
government’s crackdown. We are determined to do all we
can to prevent alcohol ruining the lives of children, young
people and their families.’
‘For young people, boredom and drinking alcohol often
goes hand in hand,’ said chief executive of Drinkaware,
Chris Sorek. ‘During school holidays and half term young
people can find themselves with nothing to do, so it is
very important that parents remind teenagers they can
have fun without alcohol. Parents play a crucial role in
shaping their children’s attitudes towards alcohol, often
without even realising it.’
www.footballfoundation.org.uk/our-schemes/kickz
Government attempts
to kick underage
drinking into touch