Fentanyl-related deaths continue to climb in Alberta: AHS

Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11, 2018, 63 people in the province died from an accidental overdose related to fentanyl, new information released by Alberta Health shows.

In the previous six weeks, between Aug. 20 and Sept. 30, there were 79 fentanyl-related deaths, an interim fourth quarter report for 2018 indicates.

Across the province, 10 people died from an apparent accidental drug poisoning related to carfentanil between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11, compared to seven people in the previous six weeks.

Information available for last year shows that between Jan. 1 and Nov. 11, there were a total of 582 fentanyl-related deaths across the province, compared to 463 in the previous time period in 2017.

“In 2018, there are now on average, approximately 13 apparent accidental drug poisoning deaths related to fentanyl per week (1.9 per day), compared to 11 deaths per week in 2017 (1.6 per day),” the interim opioid response surveillance report states.

Calgary continued to have the most deaths associated with fentanyl, with 271 recorded so far for 2018, compared to 166 in Edmonton, 63 in central Alberta, 39 in northern Alberta and 43 in the south of the province.

The year-to-date total of carfentanil-related deaths for 2018 is 149, up from 116 during the same time period in 2017. The south and Calgary zones have the highest rate of deaths related to carfentanil per 100,000 population, with 90 recorded in Calgary between Jan. 1 and Nov. 11, 2018, 17 in the south zone, 14 in central Alberta, 24 in Edmonton and four in the north zone.