Pubdate: Fri, 09 Dec 2016
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Langley Times
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Series: Dying to get high
Author: Monique Tamminga

FENTANYL TO BLAME IN MORE THAN 330 B.C. DEATHS IN 2016

Dr. Ingrid Tyler, the lead medical health officer at Fraser Health
dealing with harm reduction and the fentanyl crisis, says the best way
to save the life of a person who has overdosed on the deadly drug is
to give them breaths, through mouth-to-mouth CPR.

A fentanyl overdose causes the victim to stop breathing, so providing
air is essential to saving lives, said Tyler.

However, giving CPR to someone who is overdosing comes with its own
serious set of risks to the person administrating the life-saving
technique, she warned.

The exposure risk to fentanyl is higher than with other
drugs.

"Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin, and it is also a danger
when it is airborne and can be inhaled.

So if the substance is loose around the person, or there is a
container of a substance around the person, this is a risk."

Police officers across B.C. have been outfitted with naloxone kits for
that very reason.

Because they are dealing with the drug, at least three officers have
accidentally overdosed on fentanyl while either helping someone
overdosing or dealing with the drug during an arrest.

Tyler suggests no one touches the drug if it is seen.

But the ability to save a life exists and must be balanced against the
potential risk.

"A person overdosing may not have taken a breath in some time so
giving them a breath could possibly save their life," said Tyler.

If no mouth mask if available, you can use a piece of fabric, from
your sleeve, as a barrier between your mouth and theirs, she suggests.

According to the B.C. Coroner, there is an average of two overdose
deaths a day, so "this is provincial health emergency."

Paramedics have been using naloxone to save overdosing patients every
day. One recent CBC Vancouver report included an interview with a
young woman who had overdosed 11 times this year on fentanyl and had
been revived by either her friends or paramedics, using naloxone.

Tyler said she believes Fraser Health has been successful in making
the public aware of the risks of fentanyl.

"We have also increased our distribution of naloxone kits. We are
hopeful these actions and others will reduce the number of overdoses,"
she noted.

Naloxone kits have been made available to anyone using drugs or those
connected to anyone using drugs.

Illicit drug overdoses claimed  63 lives across B.C. in October, the
highest recorded monthly death toll since April.

The total deaths reported by the B.C. Coroners Service now stands at
622 for the year up to the end of October, up markedly from the 397
deaths in the same 10 months of 2015.

The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl continues to be linked to
approximately 60 per cent of fatalities this year - 332 cases in all
or three times as many as the same period last year.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER SOMEONE WHO IS OVERDOSING:

If you encounter someone you believe to be overdosing, Dr. Ingrid
Tyler suggests calling 911 first.

Then, clearly announce to the person who you are and that you have
called 911.

Ask the person to take a breath. If the person has stopped breathing,
and you think they are overdosing on fentanyl, administer the naloxone
nasal spray.

If you don't have a naloxone kit, you may provide mouth-to-mouth
breaths for them. If you don't have a one-way mask, use a piece of
fabric to separate your mouth from theirs, she suggests.

The Justice Institute of B.C. has launched a website to support the
safety of first responders who frequently come into contact with fentanyl.

While designed with first responders in mind, the information is also
accessible to the general public to help bolster awareness of the
dangers of the highly toxic narcotic.

It can be found online at http://www.fentanylsafety.com/
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