The number of opioid overdose deaths down, according to CDC, but the reality can still be bleak

The opioid epidemic began in the 1990s and hundreds of deaths have occurred each year due to the overdose of these drugs. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), for the first time in two decades, the number of opioid overdose deaths has dropped by 5% in 2018.

Experts add that this 5.1% may seem small but translate into hundreds, if not thousands, of lives saved each year. The CDC adds that in 2018, 68,000 drug overdose deaths have been recorded. This represents a decrease from the 72,000 deaths due to a drug overdose in 2017. The CDC claim that there could be a plateau of the opioid crisis.

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Health and Social Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement: "The latest provisional data on overdose deaths show that America's united efforts to combat opioid use disorder and addictions are paying off. Lives are saved and we start winning the fight against this crisis. Keith Humphreys, a professor at Stanford University, former senior advisor at the White House's National Drug Control Policy Office, said in a statement: "Since the outbreak we have started there In recent years, deaths have been stable or have barely increased year by year, but this is the first time that they are retreating. Of course, losing nearly 70,000 people a year still means we are at the heart of a public health disaster, but that's the first real sign of hope we could turn the corner. "

While this data looks encouraging, several experts, including the CDC, have warned that there may still be reasons to worry and that all might not be good. CDC says these data are preliminary and may not yet reflect reality. Final figures for opioid-related deaths would be revealed in December, according to the CDC.

The CDC adds that there is always a margin of error when the number of deaths attributed to an opioid overdose is affected. In 2017, for example, the actual number of deaths could be 2,000 less than the one announced. They also add that in 2011 and 2012, the number of overdose deaths had been similar to 41,500. It was before the return of a synthetic version of fentanyl and the number of deaths related to an overdose Opioids increased from 70,000 to 72,000 in 2017. by fentanyl alone. Even now, there is an epidemic of fentanyl use in the north-east and west-central of the country.

According to early data from the CDC, there is an upward trend in fentanyl-related deaths that remains a threat, experts say. According to the CDC, in 2018, the number of synthetic opioid-related deaths was nearly 32,000 and about 29,000 in 2017. The decline reported here is attributable to deaths from opioid badgesics rather than deaths from opioid badgesics. To synthetic opioids from abuse, cocaine or methamphetamine, according to the CDC officials. The lethal overdose caused by opioid badgesics was 12,757 in 2018, up from 14,495 in 2017, adds the CDC report. The CDC report notes that even with 68,000 overdose deaths, the number is too high and exceeds the number of deaths from firearms, car accidents and HIV / AIDS. Azar noted that there were "disturbing trends in overdoses of cocaine and methamphetamine" and stated that "this crisis has developed over two decades and that it will not be resolved from overnight. "

The report provides the only hope that indicates a reduction in the number of deaths badociated with opioid badgesics and badgesics requiring pain relievers with the necessary relief. According to Humphreys, physicians carefully prescribing opioid badgesics are an ongoing process. He added, "It actually started about five years ago, that is to say about how long we were many to think that it would take a day to present a reduced overdose. . If you do not start millions of opioid-naïve patients on opioids they do not need, this will mean in the short term by a small number of them developing opioid problems and in the longer term, by fewer overdoses. The CDC added that in counties where opioid badgesic prescriptions were high also reported a higher number of overdose-related deaths.

Humphreys added that there had been a drop in heroin compared to doses. He said, "One of the things that can make the difference is the significantly increased availability of naloxone. If you look at the data, you will find that despite many advocacy activities and laws, the availability of naloxone has not really increased until 2016. "Naloxone is used with success in the treatment of opioid overdose to prevent death.

Rebecca Haffajee, a behavioral health researcher at the University of Michigan who studies policies to reduce opioid addiction, said in a statement: "We are still in a pretty sad situation that we have to look into." Drugs count a lot, no matter what we try to do. When there is a flood of addictive drugs, many people end up hurting themselves. "