A bit of good news on the opioid crisis in B.C.: September saw the lowest number of overdose deaths recorded in any month of 2017.
According to the BC Coroners Service, 80 people died of illicit drug overdoses that month. That’s 28 fewer than in July, the second lowest month this year. It reflects a downward trend in fatalities since June.
However, 61 per cent more people died September 2017 compared to the same month last year.
Slightly more than 1,100 people have died of overdoses in B.C. in 2017, almost 500 more than at this time last year.
The coroner links the increased fatality rate to an increase in fentanyl.
Fentanyl, the painkiller that’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, continued to be detected in more than four-fifths of those fatal overdoses, while the even more powerful carfentanil was detected in 37 deaths so far between June and September.
Four-fifths of those who died were men and almost three out of five were between the ages of 30 and 59.
Vancouver Coastal Health continued to have the highest rate of overdose-related deaths and that rate has grown by 60 per cent since last year – the largest increase across all health authorities.
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More to come.
