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16/08/2006
Man dies from anthrax in Scotland
A 50-year-old man has died from anthrax in the first case to occur in Scotland for almost 20 years.
The man, who has been named locally as Christopher 'Pascal' Norris, died in July after suffering from septicaemia. However, later tests revealed that anthrax was the most likely cause of his illness.
It is understood that Mr Norris, who lived in the Scottish borders, worked with materials including untreated animal hides, which is a known risk factor for contracting anthrax.
It has been reported that his home in Hawick has been sealed off. Health Protection Scotland have requested anyone who visited Mr Norris' home before July 17 to contact them.
Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It occurs mainly in animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, but can also occur in humans if they are exposed to infected animals. The disease is not passed between humans.
There are two main types of anthrax - cutaneous, caused by direct contact with the skin or tissues of infected animals, which causes a skin infection and is not usually serious, and inhalational, caused by inhaling anthrax spores directly into the lungs which is less common. It begins as a flu-like illness, which progresses to pneumonia, respiratory failure and sometimes septicaemia, which can lead to shock and death.
A third type of anthrax, intestinal, is a very rare form of food poisoning, which results in fever and severe gut disease.
The last laboratory-confirmed case of anthrax was in Scotland in 1987 and affected a young girl who later recovered.
(KMcA)
The man, who has been named locally as Christopher 'Pascal' Norris, died in July after suffering from septicaemia. However, later tests revealed that anthrax was the most likely cause of his illness.
It is understood that Mr Norris, who lived in the Scottish borders, worked with materials including untreated animal hides, which is a known risk factor for contracting anthrax.
It has been reported that his home in Hawick has been sealed off. Health Protection Scotland have requested anyone who visited Mr Norris' home before July 17 to contact them.
Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It occurs mainly in animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, but can also occur in humans if they are exposed to infected animals. The disease is not passed between humans.
There are two main types of anthrax - cutaneous, caused by direct contact with the skin or tissues of infected animals, which causes a skin infection and is not usually serious, and inhalational, caused by inhaling anthrax spores directly into the lungs which is less common. It begins as a flu-like illness, which progresses to pneumonia, respiratory failure and sometimes septicaemia, which can lead to shock and death.
A third type of anthrax, intestinal, is a very rare form of food poisoning, which results in fever and severe gut disease.
The last laboratory-confirmed case of anthrax was in Scotland in 1987 and affected a young girl who later recovered.
(KMcA)
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