Pubdate: Wed, 03 Feb 2016 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Author: Andrea Peacock Page: A1 DRUG DEATHS ON RISE Illegal Drug Use Takes Greater Toll As Report by BC Coroners Service Shows Overdose Deaths Up 44% in B.C. Interior Last Year Overdose deaths involving illegal drugs rose by 44 per cent in the B.C. Interior, a recent report from the BC Coroners Service shows. The report counted 57 overdose deaths in 2015 in the Interior, up from 44 in 2014. Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are also on the rise in B.C., up to 30 per cent from 25 per cent in 2014, although numbers for fentanyl-related cases in the Interior were not available. Fentanyl is a painkiller that's said to be 50 times more potent than morphine and has a heroin-like effect on some users. More and more, it is being mixed with other drugs, such as heroin, because of its addictive qualities, explained Dr. Trevor Corneil, chief medical health officer for Interior Health. "Fentanyl is fairly new, but I think there's probably a good likelihood of fentanyl in the community," said Kelowna RCMP Const. Joe Duncan. "Our numbers are quite skewed, because unless the coroner gives us a toxicology report, we don't know what drug was used." RCMP numbers for drug overdoses not resulting in death are also likely underestimated, said Duncan. "Unless the officer specifically wrote overdose, it won't show up in the computer." Interior Health also has limitations in tracking drug overdoses, with no formal system in place. Interior Health currently does not have a formal tracking system for overdoses that may show up at its hospitals, "so we are unable to provide statistics," said Corneil. Instead, Interior Health relies on alerts from hospital emergency departments. "We use that information to alert and inform our partners in the community and the public," said Corneil, adding the health authority is developing a real-time surveillance system to track overdoses. In Kelowna, illicit drug overdose deaths increased to 17 deaths in 2015 from 12 in 2014 (a 41 per cent hike). In Vernon, illicit drug overdose deaths increased to nine in 2015 from six in 2014 (50 per cent). Overdose deaths were up across the province to 465 in 2015 from 366 in 2014, a 27 per cent increase. The BC Coroners Service report, Preventing Death after Overdose, expressed particular concern about overdose deaths among young people. It found 26 youth and 156 young adults died from an overdose in B.C. between 2009 and 2013. "If there was one critical message, it would be that if you witness an overdose or medical distress, seek medical attention," said Michael Egilson, director of the BC Coroners Service. "Time is really critical in drug overdoses." The report found that in 75 per cent of overdose cases in youth and in 40 per cent of overdose cases in young adults, other people were with the victims at the time. "The young person was either placed in a recovery position or nobody thought there was enough medical distress to seek immediate medical attention," said Egilson. The report recommends the Ministry of Children and Family Development engage with foster parents and youth networks on effective messaging to raise awareness of the signs of an overdose and the importance of calling 911 immediately. It also calls on the Ministry of Education to update its physical education curriculum to address the issue of calling 911 when people are in medical distress and to ensure overdosing is identified as a form of medical distress. "The recommendations are around raising awareness of the importance of seeking medical attention when someone has overdosed," said Egilson. The report found 62 per cent of the youth who died from overdoses had family members who were aware of their current and/or past drug use, and half of the youth lived with family at the time of their death. One-third of the young adults and almost one-third of the youth were noted to have a mental-health diagnosis at the time of their death, including depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "What we do know is even with the existing prevention programs, we still have overdoses, and although drug overdoses can be fatal, (they) certainly don't need to be," said Egilson. "There are opportunities to reduce those numbers." The report also showed: - In 2014, the illicit drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people in the Interior was 6.2, compared to 7.1 in 2013. - - The highest rate of illicit drug overdose deaths in 2014 was in Metro Vancouver at 9.0 per 100,000 people, followed by the Fraser Valley at 8.1 per 100,000 people. - - The most common age group for deaths from illicit drug overdoses in 2015 was 30 to 39, followed by 40 to 49. - - December 2015 saw the most deaths by illicit drug overdoses in B.C. with 62 reported deaths. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom