Washington. Drug overdose deaths in america decreased in 2023 for the primary time since 2018, US well being authorities introduced this Wednesday.
Final yr, some 107,000 overdose deaths had been recorded within the nation, in comparison with greater than 111,000 in 2022, which represents a lower of three p.c, based on preliminary figures.
The main reason for the overdose disaster in america is at present fentanyl, a particularly highly effective and addictive artificial opioid.
The variety of deaths associated to fentanyl fell from greater than 76,000 in 2022 to simply beneath 75,000 final yr, based on figures from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).
Joseph Friedman, a researcher specializing on this matter on the UCLA College of California, advised AFP: “Many components are in all probability taking part in a task” on this decline. Particularly, “the intensification of dependancy therapies” and “elevated entry to naloxone,” an antidote used to resuscitate an opioid overdose sufferer, he mentioned.
One other clarification could also be “the unfold of fentanyl,” which has now “exhausted all new locations to ascertain itself,” he mentioned.
Alternatively, based on CDC information, deaths from overdoses of cocaine or stimulants reminiscent of methamphetamine elevated.
Robust regional disparities had been additionally noticed: whereas the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Maine noticed a decline in deaths of 15 p.c or extra, the states of Washington, Alaska and Oregon, all positioned within the western a part of the The USA noticed a rise of at the very least 27 p.c, based on officers.
Within the spring of 2023, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) for the primary time licensed the sale of naloxone and not using a prescription, within the type of a nasal spray.
“Whereas the obvious stabilization of the variety of deaths in comparison with earlier will increase is encouraging, there isn’t any indication that the elemental structural components of this disaster have modified considerably,” Friedman warned.
#Overdose #deaths #time
– 2024-05-24 13:31:48
