Black Death –
December 5, 2019 – The source of the heroin is unknown and an investigation is continuing, the county said. Most black-tar heroin is produced in Mexico and sold in the United States west of the Mississippi River, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Wilma Wooten, a county public health official, said people who use black-tar heroin are not only at higher risk of dying from an overdose, but also more prone to developing myonecrosis and wound botulism, a rare but serious illness that attacks the body’s nerves. Symptoms of myonecrosis include severe pain and swelling around a wound or injection site; pale skin that quickly turns gray, dark red, purple or black; blisters with a foul-smelling discharge; air under the skin; and fever.
