HEROIN users in Ayrshire and the rest of Scotland are now in even greater risk by injecting the potentially fatal drug – with an infection of botulism.

Health chiefs at NHS Ayrshire and Arran are investigating three new probable cases of the serious condition in patients they claim are ‘drug injecting heroin users’.

Two of the new patients are from the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area whilst one is from the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area.

All three are receiving treatment in hospital and are in a serious condition. This takes the total number of probable cases to five.

The initial two patients, one critical and one stable, are still in hospital.

The cause of these infections continues being investigated with the focus on injecting drug use.

Dr Catriona Milocević, NHS Greater Glasgow Consultant in Public Heath Medicine, said: “I urge all drug injecting heroin users to be extremely alert and to seek urgent medical attention from Accident and Emergency if they experience any early symptoms such as blurred or double vision, difficulty in swallowing and speaking and/or inflammation at the injection site.

“It is important for injecting drug users to engage with the wide range of services we offer designed to help them tackle their addictions.

"However for those who continue to inject it is extremely important that they seek urgent medical help if they show these early symptoms.

“Heroin users should avoid injecting heroin into their muscles. Injecting heroin into a vein or smoking can reduce the risk of botulism, although not using heroin at all is by far the best course of action.” Police Scotland is aware and enquiries are continuing.

The health board were unable to state whereabouts in Ayrshire the patients were from.

Botulism is caused by botulinum toxin, a poison produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

The organism is can be found in soil, dust, and river or sea sediments and can survive in these environments as a resistant spore.

The bacteria themselves are not harmful, but they can produce highly poisonous toxins when they are deprived of oxygen – such as in closed cans or bottles, stagnant soil or mud, or occasionally the human body).

Symptoms often begin with blurred or double vision and difficulty in swallowing and speaking.

There may be local inflammation at an injection site in cases associated with intravenous drug use.

If the condition is not treated quickly the disease can progress to a paralysis that can affect the arms, legs, and eventually the muscles that control breathing.

The way in which the condition is treated depends on the type of botulism you have, but treatment will usually involve neutralising the toxins with injections of special antibodies while the functions of the body (such as breathing) are supported.

Most cases make a full recovery, but the recovery period can be many months. Death can occur in between five and 10 per cent of cases.