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The New York City Department of Health said there was an overall 2% increase in drug overdoses in 2017, up from a 51% increase in 2016.
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According to a report released Monday in the largest city of the country, the number of overdose confirmed drug deaths increased over a year ago and is still at the same epidemic level.
The New York City Department of Health said there was an overall 2% increase in drug overdoses in 2017, up from a 51% increase in 2016.
In 2017, there were 1,487 drug overdose deaths, 62 more deaths than in 2016; in 2016, there were 437 more deaths than in 2015.
The United States is at the heart of the deadliest drug overdose epidemic in its history, and it is worsening. Last year, more than 70,000 Americans died from a drug overdose, an increase of 10% over the previous year, according to preliminary US government figures.
An increasing number of recent deaths have been attributed to fentanyl and fentanyl analgesics. Drugs are much more powerful than heroin, but they are relatively inexpensive and have been increasingly cut by street drug providers without the knowledge of buyers.
The Department of Health has reported that fentanyl – a potent synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine – has been detected in 57% of all overdose deaths in New York, up from 44% in 2016.
In 2017, the Department of Health reported that fentanyl was the most frequently identified substance in overdose deaths.
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The health department said the Bronx, home of Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which is expected to win a seat in the United States in November, had the highest rate of overdose deaths, more than twice the average from the city.
"The drug overdose epidemic in New York continues, but the story of those affected is changing," Interim Health Commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot said in a statement.
"For the first time in more than a decade, the risk of fatal overdose is higher among African Americans than among whites. Nevertheless, the rate of increase has slowed down and we are optimistic that the many efforts of HealingNYC (a global strategy to fight the opioid overdose epidemic) are moving us in the right direction. These include connecting more New Yorkers to addiction medications and naloxone that saves lives. We are committed to using our data to target our approaches to communities most at risk of overdose.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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