Crisis of opioids : increase dramatic deaths by drug overdose in 2017

Photo AFP

QMI agency

Tuesday, 27 march 2018 15:26

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Tuesday, 27 march 2018 15:26

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OTTAWA – The in opioid-related deaths have risen 45 % in the country in 2017, compared to the previous year, data that confirm the fears of the public health Agency of Canada on the scale of the crisis.

From January to September of 2017, at least 2923 people have died from overdoses related to opioid use in Canada. In the same period last year, there had been about 2000.

This preliminary assessment of nine months is almost as high as the total number of deaths registered for the year 2016 as a whole, which was 2946.

The agency expects that the final balance sheet of 2017 amounted to more than 4000 victims in canada.

“Unfortunately, the data published today have confirmed our fears by showing that the crisis has greatly deteriorated since 2016, despite the efforts of all levels of government and their partners to reverse the trend,” said the special advisory committee on the epidemic of overdoses in a press release issued Tuesday.

Fentanyl and its derivatives are more and more devastation to the country. They are responsible for 72 % of accidental deaths related to opioids, in 2017, compared to 55% in 2016.

The statistics also show that men are highly represented among victims of overdose (76 %). The age group most affected is that of 30 to 39 years (28 %).

“All orders of government must do more to raise awareness, implement and evaluate innovative approaches to harm reduction and to increase access to effective treatment programs in order to come to the end of this epidemic,” stated the advisory committee.

Health Canada has already announced on Monday that it would facilitate access of patients to alternative treatments to methadone and heroin pharmaceutical.

The federal budget 2018 also provides for an envelope of $ 231 million over five years dedicated to the fight against opioids.

“We recognize that we face a national crisis of public health. There is no simple solution to this problem. All levels of government and civil society must work together in this folder,” responded Tuesday by the minister of Health, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, on his arrival at the House of commons.