Pubdate: Sat, 01 Jul 2000 Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland) Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000 Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ BREAKTHROUGH ON HEROIN MAY NOT BE ENOUGH Health experts fighting a mystery illness striking heroin users say bacteria blamed in Britain may not be the cause of outbreak here. Scientists in the UK announced a breakthrough a fortnight ago when a soil based bacterium, called Clostridium A, was found in the bloodstream of patients believed to have used contaminated heroin. But health officials here are still unable to confirm if the same bug is responsible for eight deaths and 14 other cases of severe infections in heroin addicts in Dublin. "We are in contact with experts in Britain and monitoring the situation there but we have nothing conclusive here yet. The tests are still continuing," said a spokeperson for the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The authority confirmed on Thursday that three more cases of the illness had come to light, leading to a warning that contaminated heroin may still be circulation. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek