“Approximately 92,000 lives were lost to drug overdoses during 2020:” New CDC study reports drug overdose deaths
DELMARVA- Approximately 92,000 lives were lost to drug overdoses during 2020, that’s according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Study. “So, between 2019 and 2020 we saw actually about a 30% increase in the number of drug overdose deaths and that’s the largest increase in U.S. history,” Mbabazi Kariisa, health scientist with the CDC, said.
This number sparked the centers interest to dive deeper into the root cause for these deaths. “So, COVID- 19 led to disruptions not only in prevention but also treatment and harm reduction services,” Kariisa said. “We also know in recent years there’s been changes in the drug supply; so we have really potent drugs like synthetic opioids specifically illicitly manufacture fentanyl.”
Not only did the CDC look at what’s causing the increase in overdose deaths, but also how it’s impacting different groups. “We know in certain populations there are disparities and social determinants of health underlay and kind of further exacerbate those disparities,” Kariisa said. “We know that access to treatment is not the same for all groups, so that was definitely worsened during the pandemic.”
The demographic profile for the overdose epidemic has shifted over time. The first wave in the 90’s was driven by prescription opioids, which impacted mostly middle-aged white people. The second wave switched to heroin around 2008. Now, we’re in our third wave where fentanyl is driving overdose deaths, significantly impacting certain groups. “We saw a 44% increase in the drug overdose deaths rates for black people and a 39% increase for the drug overdose deaths rates for American Indian and Alaskan Native people; by comparison the increase for white people was 22%.
The CDC said while they’re seeing an increase in these numbers there needs to be more support for those who need it. “Providing other modalities like telehealth, so that transportation is not a factor for them when it comes to accessing some of these treatment services could definitely help overcome that gap that we see, and also in the very immediate short term better provision of naloxone,” Kariisa said.
The CDC said there also needs to be culturally appropriate ways to reach these certain populations, such as using religions and traditional practices in combination with other treatment.
