Fernando Gomez, 35, a resident of east London and a drum maker by profession, who had been admitted in Homerton University Hospital after falling ill from inhaling anthrax spores while handling imported animal skins at his workshop, has died after more than a week in intensive care unit.

According to a hospital spokesman, Gomez died from inhalation anthrax not cutaneous anthrax, which can cause a skin infection or, as in this case, from inhaled into the lungs. As part of its precautionary measures, Health Protection Agency (HPA) who is trying to trace where the infected skins originated from, Gomez's Hackney flat has been sealed and administered antibiotics to seven other people who were present in the room where animal hides were prepared, though no one else has developed anthrax symptoms, so far. Further, sometime this week, HPA will also be examining the dead man's workshop for further signs of the disease.

A highly contagious infection, usually anthrax only afflicts livestock; however, it can be transmitted to humans through handling or eating infected animals. While, it is very rare, anthrax inhalation is not contagious.

As clarification, Professor Nigel Lightfoot, Chief Advisor to HPA states that playing or handling drums does not put one is at risk of coming into contact with anthrax, rather it is the handling of animal skins that exposes one to the disease. However, the public is at little risk, as it is highly unusual for person to person anthrax transmission. The last anthrax related death was in 2006, when Christopher Norris, 50, a craftsman from Stobs, near Hawick in Scotland, who made artworks and musical instruments, including drums, died from playing or handling anthrax-contaminated West African drums at a drumming workshop.