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Washington (AFP) – The United States recorded a record of more than 100,000 deaths by overdose over one year during the pandemic, the American authorities being alarmed by an unprecedented “crisis” in particular related to the illegal sales of fentanyl, a powerful opiate.
Between April 2020 and April 2021, the country counted 100,306 fatal overdoses, an increase of 28.5% compared to the same period the previous year (78,056 deaths), according to provisional figures from the Centers for Prevention and the Fight against diseases (CDC).
It is the first time that the symbolic bar of 100,000 deaths has been exceeded. This means one death every 5 minutes.
“As we continue to make progress in defeating the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot ignore this epidemic of disappearances, which has affected families and communities across the country,” the president said in a statement. Joe Biden.
“It is time to recognize that this crisis seems to be getting worse, we need everyone on the bridge,” added Health Minister Xavier Becerra at a press conference.
The pandemic has further accelerated a phenomenon already on the rise in the past, for example by having increased the isolation of certain populations, according to experts.
Counterfeit pills
“These overdoses are largely driven by synthetic opiates, primarily illegally manufactured fentanyl,” CDC official Deb Houry told reporters.
Overdoses related to methamphetamine, also a highly addictive stimulant, or cocaine have also increased.
“Drug traffickers and their networks are flooding our neighborhoods with fentanyl and methamphetamine in the form of fake pills,” warned Anne Milgram, head of the US anti-drug agency (DEA).
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Mexican cartels, using chemicals imported from China, trick consumers into buying approved and prescription drugs online, when they are in fact very dangerous counterfeit products, she said. Explain.
The DEA seized “over 14 million fake pills this year, an amount that continues to grow dramatically every year,” she said. “We find these lethal drugs in every state” of America.
Access to naloxone
“My administration is committed to doing everything in its power to tackle addiction and put an end to this epidemic of overdoses,” promised Joe Biden.
The US government has announced that it wants to improve prevention, as well as access to naloxone, an antidote capable of countering an overdose.
The federal executive will encourage states to ensure that naloxone is made available in prisons or schools, for example, or that it is fully covered by health insurance.
“I believe that no one should die of an overdose simply from lack of access to naloxone,” said Rahul Gupta, director of the executive office in charge of the national drug control strategy. “But unfortunately this is happening across the country right now.”
© 2021 AFP
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