Opioid overdoses and deaths on the rise in several regions in Ontario

In Simcoe County and the District Municipality of Muskoka, seven people have died from suspected opioid overdoses in seven days.

This is not normal and we are ringing the alarm bellssays Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Constable Robert Simpson.

The PPO rightly issued a warning to inform the local population this week.

Toronto is also seeing an increase in emergency department calls for opioid overdoses.

The most recent spike in calls related to suspected fatal overdoses occurred from Jan. 19-22, 2023, Toronto Public Health confirms, with nine opioid-related overdose deaths.

In January alone, the City of Toronto recordedopioid overdose emergency calls, including 17suspected fatal overdoses”,”text”:”292emergency calls regarding opioid overdoses, including 17suspected fatal overdoses”}}”>292 opioid overdose emergency calls, including 17 suspected fatal overdosesaccording to its preliminary data.

These overdoses occur in various neighborhoods of Toronto, according to the City.

In fact, the number of calls involving suspected fatal overdoses in January was higher than the number of calls seen before the pandemic, according to public health.

Supervised consumption centers are stocked with naloxone kits to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Photo : Radio-Canada / Sarah MacMillan

The situation in Northern Ontario

In northern Ontario, there have beensuspected fatal overdoses in January and six suspected fatal overdoses in February”,”text”:”15suspected fatal overdoses in January and six suspected fatal overdoses in February”}}”>15 suspected fatal overdoses in January and six suspected fatal overdoses in February in the greater Sudbury area this year, according to preliminary data from Ontario’s Chief Coroner.

The Sudbury Area Health Unit confirms thatresidents died from opioid overdoses”,”text”:”from January to November 2022, a total of 97 residents died from opioid overdoses”}}”>from January to November 2022, a total of 97 residents died from an opioid overdose.

In Timmins, the Opioid Emergency Response Task Force issued an alert on March 3 and March 7 due to the increased risk of overdose caused by the circulation of opioids throughout the Cochrane District.

Over the past week, we have seen an increase in the number of calls related to opioid overdoses and our partners have seen more people requiring medical intervention and multiple doses of naloxonecan we read in the press release.

Other suspected opioid overdose deaths have occurred over the past few daysaccording to the Porcupine Health Unit.

: spreading the word about the high level of toxicity of illicit drugs in our area right now and providing naloxone”,”text”:”[Nos intervenants] outreach workers are on the streets and are focused on two key efforts: spreading the word about the high level of illicit drug toxicity in our area right now and providing naloxone””>[Nos intervenants] outreach workers are on the streets and are focused on two key efforts: spreading the word about the high level of illicit drug toxicity in our area right now and providing naloxonesays Porcupine Health Unit Harm Reduction Awareness Program Coordinator Amy Haapakoski.

As in other areas, the number of overdoses is on the rise in Windsor.

Photo : CBC / Ben Nelms/CBC

A look at Southwestern Ontario

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit on Monday reported a high number of opioid overdoses in the area between Feb. 24 and March 2.

The county recorded 11 opioid overdoses in one week, including eight fentanyl overdoses.

There were also 20 calls to emergency services during this period.

For 2022, public health records more than 85 deaths, according to preliminary data from the region.

The situation is getting worsesays Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Manager Gordon Thane.

« This is an abnormal peak. »

— A quote from Gordon Thane, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

In 2021 alone, there were 505 emergency room hospitalizations related to an opioid overdose in the Windsor-Essex region involving mostly men between the ages of 25 and 44, according to data from the region.

That year, 84 residents died of drug overdoses in Windsor and Essex County, highest number of opioid overdose deaths in the region since data began to be trackedsays Thane.

Opioid toxicity

The growing number of overdoses is attributed in large part to the unknown nature of what’s in the substances, experts say.

The PPO reported around mid-January (New window) what illicit opioids of a very potent and potentially deadly strain seemed to circulate in the area.

The prevalence of illicit opioids distributed by drug trafficking networks continues to riseaccording to the authorities.

Similar to the Windsor-Essex area, Ottawa Public Health has also noticed a increased entry of xylazine and benzodiazepines into the unregulated drug supply in ontario.

The increase in the frequent presence of xylazine and benzodiazepine in Ontario’s unregulated drug supply is of concern as it may contribute to an increased risk of overdoseexplains the Ottawa public health unit in a press release published on March 3.

The risk of overdose increases further when benzodiazepines, xylazine, and other depressants such as opioids or alcohol are taken at the same timesays the City of Ottawa.

In Toronto, the public health unit also confirms that the number of preventable deaths […] remains high due to an increasingly unpredictable supply of unregulated toxic drugs.

Opioid overdoses hit record levels in the Queen City in 2021. The death toll from opioid toxicity reached 591 that year, according to the City.

Fentanyl continues to contribute to majority of opioid poisoning deaths in Toronto, data from Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner showsconfirms Toronto Public Health.

What is naloxone?

Naloxone, if injected in time into an overdose victim, temporarily blocks the effects of opioids so as to avoid cardiorespiratory arrest due to the profound state of unconsciousness caused by fentanyl-type opioids.

The same phenomenon is observed in northern and southwestern Ontario.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts nurse Caroline Lavoie explains that these drugs are increasingly contaminated with other toxic substances.

Gordon Thane, Director of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention.

Photo: Windsor-Essex Public Health

The same observation is made by the health authorities of Windsor and Essex County.

Prior to issuing our alert, the province, through the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Coroner’s Office, reported to us that they had found traces of xylazine and benzodiazepine, substances that do not respond to naloxone.explains the director of chronic disease and injury prevention for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Gordon Thane.

Resuscitation during an opioid overdose is then much more difficulthe adds.

Despite this, public health units in Ontario still recommend administering naloxone in the event of an overdose.

It is important to call the emergency teams [dans les cas de surdoses] since their support will be needed if naloxone is not enoughrecalls Mr. Thane.