Director of the CDC: I almost lost my son to fentanyl

The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told a private audience last week that the opioid crisis was close to him because his son nearly died after taking fentanyl-contaminated cocaine . it is personal. I have almost lost one of my children, "said Dr. Robert Redfield Jr. at the annual conference of the National Association of Health Officers of the Towns and Counties, according to CBS News and Associated Press

The AP saw a video of Redfield's speech, which was given Thursday in New Orleans According to AP researchers, the Redfield's 37-year-old son was charged with possession in 2016, but the outcome of the case was not public record.

Redfield refused to discuss the incident further, but he made the following statement: "It is important for society to embrace and support families who are fighting to win the battle of addiction – because stigma is the enemy of public health. "

During the speech, Redfield outlined his priorities for the CDC. He said that since he became director in March, the opioid crisis has been a priority because it's "the public health crisis of our time."

Dr. Umair Shah, head of the Houston County Health Department, said, "It was certainly an intimate moment that caught the attention of public health professionals," said Shah, who comes from Terminate as President of the National Association of Health Officials in Counties and Cities

. Shah said that it is relatively unusual for health care providers to talk about their personal experience with public health issues, but what to do "We do not want to be perceived as too vulnerable or too unprofessional", said Shah. "And here he shares such an intimate story."

Redfield's Context is suffering from an infectious disease and much of its professional work relates to HIV, a condition that has been stigmatized in the same way as drug addiction today. .

Fentanyl is being used more and more to cut other drugs, including cocaine. In addition, fentanyl is increasingly being abused rather than mixed with other drugs. In 2016, the drug was present in 46% of overdose deaths related to opioids.