The other epidemic in America: overdose deaths 0:37
(CNN) - The
United States has seen a substantial increase in fatal drug overdoses and set a record for overdose deaths in the year ending in May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. its acronym in English).
The worst of the deaths coincide with closures and other measures taken to control the pandemic, the CDC said in a health alert.
Data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicates that approximately 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in that period.
"This represents a worsening drug overdose epidemic in the United States and is the largest number of drug overdoses ever recorded in a 12-month period," according to the CDC alert.
US drug overdose epidemic worsens
The most common are overdoses of synthetic opioids, such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
But there is also an increase in deaths from drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine, the CDC added.
Covid-19 deaths in the US this month exceed 40,000 as the FDA prepares to approve a second vaccine
And the numbers seem grim.
"The 12-month death toll from synthetic opioids increased 38.4% from the 12 months ending in June 2019, compared to the 12 months ending in May 2020," the CDC stated.
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A 98% increase in synthetic opioid deaths was observed in 10 western states, coinciding with a greater availability of these drugs in that region.
"After declining 4.1% from 2017 to 2018, the number of overdose deaths increased 18.2% in the 12 months ending in June 2019 to the 12 months ending in May 2020," they noted. .
The agency says that people should be informed about the risks of using drugs on their own.
“These recently released interim fatal overdose data, along with the known disruption to public health, healthcare, and social services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related mitigation measures, highlight the need for services essentials remain accessible to those most at risk of overdose and the need to scale up prevention and response activities, ”the agency added.
The recommendations also include expanding the use of naloxone, a drug used in overdose cases.
It's important to expand the places where overdose prevention education and take-home naloxone is provided, especially in rural areas, the CDC said.
Drug abuse CDC United States