The fatal overdoses of opiates has exploded in 2017 in Canada

Photo AFP

AFP

Wednesday, 31 January 2018 17:06

UPDATE
Wednesday, 31 January 2018 17:06

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Fatal drug overdoses from opioids have continued to increase exponentially in the last year in Canada and particularly in British Columbia where the fentanyl, a powerful sedative, has been detected in eight out of ten deaths.

In this province is particularly exposed to the evils of the consumption of opiates, the health service announced on Wednesday that a balance sheet for 2017 1.156 death by overdose on the fentanyl out of a total of 1.426 fatal overdoses.

It is 73% higher than the previous year and when, in 2012 only 4% of fatal overdoses were attributed to the use of fentanyl, this proportion jumped last year to 81%, according to the provincial department of Health.

In whole in Canada, a little more than 3000 people have succumbed to an overdose and a deadly opiate.

In British Columbia, four victims out of five are men, and these are the people in the age group of 30 to 39 years, which is the most affected.

In the autumn, the health services had pointed out that the majority of fatal overdoses occur in the five days following the cashing of cheques by beneficiaries of social assistance.

The fentanyl, which wreaked havoc in North America, had been 12 victims in British Columbia in 2012, 152 in 2015 and 670 in 2016.

The carfentanyl, whose power is almost hundred times more than the fentanyl, is also responsible for a fifty fatal overdoses in British Columbia.

The balance sheet is not final, said the ministry of Health of British Columbia, while other tests are being done on suspicious deaths.

It’s been almost a year, the federal government had announced an assistance of 75 million canadian dollars (51 million euros) to strengthen the emergency services and attempt to reduce fatal drug overdoses.

Several provinces have also examined the distribution of doses of naloxone, an antidote in case of overdose. Alberta, are over 41,000 doses that have been distributed.