73 Opioid Death Toll • 19 people in NB died from opioid overdoses during the first 9 months of 2017. • 17 opioid overdose deaths between January and June and two between July and September. • 5 of the deaths are believed to be linked to fentanyl (a powerful opioid that has claimed hundreds of lives across Canada this year). • The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that the national death toll from opioids could surpass 4,000 this year, far higher than last year’s total of 2,861 deaths. • In 2016, there were 32 apparent opioid overdose deaths NB (4 related to fentanyl). • Paramedics are increasingly using the drug naloxone (can counteract opioid overdoses). • Ambulance NB administered naloxone 214 times in the first nine months of this year, with 114 patients responding to the antidote (That’s up from 121 uses of naloxone in all of 2016, to which 70 patients responded). • NB announced new resources to address opioid misuse in the province, including the hiring of an epidemiologist to track opioidrelated overdoses. www.globalnews.ca Increasing Accessibility to Naloxone • NB’s task group on opioids says the province has one of the lowest rates of fentanyl in the country, but health officials say it’s important to be prepared if the situation worsens. • NB government is studying options for making naloxone available free-of-charge to vulnerable populations in NB. • The task group also focuses key areas including surveillance and monitoring, resources, education, treatment interventions and awareness and assessment. • It’s also looking into what personal protective equipment first responders require to staysafe if exposed to fentanyl and public communications. • Many first responders are already carrying Naloxone kits. • Officers carry naloxone so when they go into a situation where fentanyl might be present, they can give themselves a dose of naloxone and then safely be able to provide the victim with a dose while they wait for emergency medical teams to arrive. • NB government has introduced a naloxone kit program in an effort to respond to the growing epidemic of opioid use in Canada. NB STATS continued
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==