Health authorities around the world are on alert due to the rise of registered cases of Krokodil use, a low-cost drug the effects of which are similar to heroin, but its use leads to a long and painful death.
After the first cases of addiction to Krokodil detected on October 2013 in Illinois and Arizona, health authorities of the state of Sonora in Mexico have confirmed the first case of addiction to the "drug of the living dead" in Mexican soil.
According to information published by Proceso, the first officially-confirmed case of Krokodil use has been registered in Nogales, a city on the border with Arizona in the United States.
According to Proceso, state authorities reported that an older man showed up at a Residential Mutual Help Center, and when he received medical attention it was confirmed that he had all the symptoms associated with Krokodil, one of the most lethal drugs nowadays, and the injuries it generates cause the skin to die and rot.
The director of the Mental Health Service of Sonora, Leticia Amparano Gámez, told the Mexican media that the man, who is also addicted to meth, cocaine and heroin, has received medical help and is under observation.
"We're treating him and working; hoping it won't branch out and more consumers show up," Gámez said, quoted by Proceso.
More Cases in the US
The new report comes days after another case of Krokodil addiction was detected in a 17-year-old Houston, Texas girl.
According to The Latin Times, the girl was visiting the touristic city of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico to visit her family last November. Later, the girl was interned at a hospital where she received treatment due to injuries in her genitals.
The doctors treating the girl thought it was an advanced cased of an STD due to the "serious lacerations" she presented. However, shortly after the girl admitted to injecting Krokodil into her genitals.
Global Epidemic Risk
Since early 2005, the drug became popular among Russian addicts to due to its low cost and similar effects to heroin. According to Time, in 2005 Russia's drug enforcement agency sporadically reported seizing the drug; however, by 2011 Russia had seized 65 million doses and Russia's government estimates that at least a million people are addicted to Krokodil.
Prolonged used of Krokodil produces necropsy wherever it's injected. The skin rots and falls off, exposing bones.
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