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Health Officials and Police Concerned About Rising Fentanyl Issues In London

A spike in the number of opioid-related deaths late last year, has caught the attention of local agencies and organizations on the front lines of the opioid crisis in London. The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario recently reported that nine opioid-related deaths occurred in London last November and December. Information from various sources and a recent warning by London Police that new forms of fentanyl have arrived in the area, are prompting increased concern from the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) and its partners.

Together with the London Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, London Health Sciences Centre, Middlesex-London Emergency Medical Services, the Regional Coroner’s Office and several other partners, the MLHU has worked to monitor opioid-related trends through surveillance data. That information paints a disturbing picture.

“Several data sources are showing what appears to be a steadily increasing presence of fentanyl in our community,” said Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and CEO at the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “What this information tells us is that there is likely more of this substance on our streets and that it is being made available in new and different forms that we haven’t seen before.”

Fentanyl may be mixed with other drugs without users being aware of it. That further raises concerns and underscores the need for those who use, to exercise caution to prevent opioid related injuries and overdose.

Naloxone kits are available from MLHU and through local pharmacies for people who use opioids, as well as for the friends and family of those who use. Naloxone is a drug that can reverse an opioid-related overdose, and potentially save a person’s life by making it possible to receive urgent medical care.

MLHU also recommends that people who use opioids, do not do so alone.

“I am deeply concerned about the increase in deaths as the data is showing and, anecdotally, what appears to be an increase in fentanyl-related overdoses that our officers are responding to,” says London Police Chief John Pare. “Starting this week, Naloxone kits are being distributed to all of our officers so they will be able to provide immediate assistance if exposed to fentanyl or to provide immediate assistance to someone who has overdosed.”

For more information about how to prevent opioid-related overdoses as well as the signs and symptoms that someone may be in distress, visit: www.healthunit.com/prevent-overdose.

About Mark Solway

Storyteller. Community builder, content creator, sports journalist, and a proud Londoner for 40 years.

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