ATLANTA, Ga. — A brand new evaluation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered drug overdoses within the United States spiked by 30 % within the United States from 2019 to 2020 and likewise confirmed important variations amongst demographic teams.
The research within the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) discovered the rise in overdoses was particularly pronounced amongst non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native individuals.
The new research additionally confirmed “significant disparities…across sex, age, and racial and ethnic subgroups.” Additionally, the overdose charges “increased with increasing county-level income inequality ratios…”
According to the research, drug overdose will increase amongst Black residents jumped 44 % from 2019-2020, rose 39 % for American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, and jumped 22 % amongst white individuals.
RELATED STORIES:
The MMWR research discovered Black individuals aged 15-24 noticed the biggest relative increase from 2019-2020 (86%), whereas American Indian or Alaska Native individuals aged 25-44 noticed an increase of 49 %.
Researchers discovered amongst demographic subgroups, the “rate among Black males aged greater than or equal to 65 years increased to nearly seven times that of White males of the same age.
According to the study, overdose death rates increased with “rising county-level revenue inequality. Researchers additionally reported proof of earlier substance use therapy was lowest amongst Black decedents and roughly one-half that of Whtie decedents.”
When it came to administering Naloxone (Narcan), usage was “highest amongst American Indian/Alaskan Native decedents and lowest amongst Asian/Pacific Islander” persons but “was low in all teams.”
The researchers said public health officials should implement “evidence-based, culturally responsive, multisectoral strategy” to reduce disparities in overdose deaths, including “addressing structural limitations and enhancing efforts resembling linkage to care and hurt discount companies.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the signs to look for with a fentanyl overdose include:
- small, constricted ‘pinpoint pupils’
- falling asleep or losing consciousness
- slow, weak, or no breathing
- choking or gurgling sounds
- limp body
- cold and/or clammy skin
- discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)
If you think someone is overdosing, even if you’re not sure, the CDC said to take the following steps:
- Call 911
- Administer naloxone (NARCAN), if available
- Try to keep the person awake and breathing
- Lay the person on their side to prevent choking
- Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives
Naloxone/Narcan is available over the counter at pharmacies across Florida. It’s also available in every county in the state of Florida. A full checklist of places might be discovered right here.