Pubdate: Thu, 01 Jun 2000
Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000
Contact:  http://www.examiner.ie/
Author: Caroline O'Doherty

HEALTH BODY AND GARDAI TO INVESTIGATE MYSTERY DEATHS

Gardai and health officials fear there could be many more victims of a 
mystery illness striking heroin addicts than originally thought.

It is now thought that up to 14 people have died. With the death toll 
rising, detectives and drugs experts from the Eastern Regional Health 
Authority (ERHA) were last night cross checking details of heroin related 
deaths in their records to determine exactly how many have died.

The ERHA has recorded 14 admissions to hospital of patients suffering the 
same symptoms of the unexplained illness in the last fortnight. Seven of 
those patients, all from Dublin, have died.

The authority said yesterday it was also examining the death of a female 
heroin addict who died in hospital yesterday, but it was not yet clear 
whether her illness was the same as that in the confirmed cases.

It has also emerged yesterday that the gardai were investigating 14 
suspicious deaths of heroin addicts, some of whom were not among the 
admissions to hospital already recorded. This has given rise to concerns 
that the outbreak may be even more serious than originally anticipated.

Public health specialist Dr Joe Barry said last night that ERHA personnel 
were working with the gardai to establish how many of the deaths were 
common to both investigations and how many of the new cases reported to the 
gardai may have been caused by the mystery illness.

"We have checked with the pathologists who carried out post mortems in 
these cases and we are trying to find out how many met the criteria for the 
illness we have been seeing," said Dr Barry.

He said it was necessary to first rule out the possibility that any victims 
previously unseen by the ERHA had not overdosed or died of general drug 
related health problems.

Before yesterday morning's death, there had been no new suspected victim of 
the illness for over a week, although four of the 14 original cases are 
still receiving treatment in hospital.

Despite extensive tests and medical examinations, it is still not known 
what is the source of the sickness which causes severe inflammation, septic 
wounds and abscesses.

ERHA staff are working in tandem with health officials in Glasgow, where 12 
heroin addicts have died in the last few weeks from an illness almost 
identical to that behind the outbreak in Dublin.

The National Center for Disease Control in the United States has also sent 
experts to Dublin and Glasgow and Dr Barry said heroin and tissue samples 
were being sent to the US for testing.

Heroin addicts are still being warned not to use the drug but to come 
forward to their GP, local health authority treatment centre or mobile 
methadone clinic to get help.
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