SAN DIEGO, April 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HeroinDetoxClinics.com breaks down latest statistics about the opioid epidemic and overdose rates from the government. New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Massachusetts had the highest death rates from synthetic opioids according to a recent report from the CDC. Learn more about heroin addiction and treatment options by visiting the website and review topics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to work closely with other federal agencies to support the Department of Health and Human Services’ five-point strategy to fight the opioid overdose crisis by:
- Improving access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services, including the full range of medication-assisted treatment.
- Better targeting availability and distribution of overdose-reversing drugs.
- Strengthening surveillance activities through timely public health data and reporting.
- Supporting cutting-edge research on pain and addiction.
- Advancing better practices for pain management.
According to the research that was given to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the largest increase in overdose death rates was in males ages 25-44. Out of the 63,632 overdose deaths reported in 2016, 66% were opioid related. “No area of the United States is exempt from this epidemic—we all know a friend, family member, or loved one devastated by opioids,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. “All branches of the federal government are working together to reduce the availability of illicit drugs, prevent deaths from overdoses, treat people with substance-use disorders, and prevent people from starting using drugs in the first place.”
The report also found that overall drug overdose death rates increased by 21.5 percent.
- The overdose death rate from synthetic opioids (other than methadone) more than doubled, likely driven by illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF).
- The prescription opioid-related overdose death rate increased by 10.6 percent.
- The heroin-related overdose death rate increased by 19.5 percent.
- The cocaine-related overdose death rate increased by 52.4 percent.
- The psychostimulant-related overdose death rate increased by 33.3 percent.
IMF is mixed into counterfeit opioid and benzodiazepine pills, heroin, and cocaine, likely contributing to increases in overdoses involving these other substances.
Research found that there is the continued need for public health and law enforcement to work together in preventing overdose deaths and taking action to:
- Protect people with opioid use disorder (OUD) by expanding treatment capacity and naloxone distribution.
- Support programs that reduce the harms of injecting opioids, including programs offering screening for HIV and hepatitis B and C in combination with referral to treatment.
- Improve coordination among law enforcement and public-health agencies to reduce and improve detection of the illicit opioid supply.
- Improve opioid prescribing to reduce unnecessary exposure to opioids and prevent addiction by training providers and implementing CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
- Improve access to and use of prescription drug monitoring programs.
The information from the CDC is what cities across America have all found. The opioid crisis needs to be hit at every level, from every side, in every city through preventive measures such as education to proper treatment programs and rehabilitation facilities that can support every person that has become addicted to any form of opioid. It has become a priority among city officials, government officials, law enforcement, education programs targeting the use and supply of Narcan, health professionals and prescription guidelines, schools on all levels, and individuals doing their part to combat this epidemic killing thousands of people every year.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9a0b23a1-c178-414e-88e9-82c054024fa4
Author: Kevin Leonard
Organization: HeroinDetoxClinics.com
Address: 402 West Broadway, #400, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 888-325-2454