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by David McFadden | AP July 27 at 16:02
BALTIMORE – Maryland, a state that already had one of the country's most punishing overdose mortality rates, recorded a record number of drug deaths. last year. This new stage has been fueled by an alarming increase in fentanyl-related deaths
Despite renewed efforts to repel the opioid epidemic, recent figures released by the Maryland Department of Health show that 39, there were 2,282 poisoning deaths in 2017. Nearly 90% were related to opioids, especially the powerful and cheap synthetic forms that swept America amidst the country's worst drug crisis .
Fentanyl is driving the high number of deaths in Maryland, which 2016 to 1,594 in 2017. This is a recrudescence of 42% over the year. The vast majority of these deaths occurred in Baltimore
. "It is terrifying that we have reached a point where numbers are increasing every year, and we do not even know where the peak is," said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore Health Commissioner.
Focusing on the dark figures of the state of fentanyl, Wen said that 573 deaths in Baltimore last year involved synthetic opioid. In comparison, there were only 12 deaths related to fentanyl in 2013.
"This is an increase of 5,000 percent in four years," Wen said Friday in Baltimore after a roundtable with US lawmakers, community representatives and others. the challenges of the fight against the epidemic and the need for more resources to develop treatment.
The escalating death due to fentanyl occurs as the hard-hit state begins to see evidence of a drop in deadly heroin overdoses.
"While Maryland begins to see a decline in fentanyl-related heroin-related deaths Maryland Health Department Secretary Robert Neall said in a statement
Across the Country , overdose rates have been greatly aggravated by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin.The badgesic is often prescribed for patients with advanced cancer, but it is also illegally manufactured in clandestine laboratories
It is often combined with heroin, but can be used alone Resellers only need to mix a small amount of synthetic products like fentanyl or carfentanil in a lot of heroin to stretch their supply and other drug addicts at risk.
The opioid epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. in the first three months of 2018 indicate that there were 653 unintentional drug-related deaths in Maryland. According to Wen, Baltimore front-line workers are doing their best, but his agency needs more support to fight the epidemic in Baltimore. which accounts for one-third of all overdose deaths in Maryland. She asked the Trump administration to invoke the authority of the government to reduce the prices of a life-saving drug overdose or provide funding to expand access .
Earlier this year, Dr. Jerome Adams of the US Surgeon General issued the first national public health council office in 13 years, calling on more Americans to start wearing naloxone, an overdose drug and urging more federal funding to focus on increasing antidote access at the local level.
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