Mass. opioid deaths down 11% this year
Photo/Courtesy/Flickr-Cindy Shelby
Opioid overdose deaths fell nearly 11% compared to a year ago through the first six months of 2019 but remain far above levels less than a decade ago.
Opioid-related overdose deaths fell nearly 11% compared to last year in the first six months of 2019, according to new Massachusetts Department of Public Health data released Wednesday.
The state recorded 938 overdose deaths either confirmed or estimated through the end of June, down from 1,050 during the same period of time in 2018. That trend, if it continues through the end of the year, would bring the third straight year of declining opioid deaths in Massachusetts.
Serious problems remain, however. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far stronger than heroin and sometimes mixed with or substituted for it, has risen to an all-time high, the state said. Fentanyl was present in 92% of opioid-related deaths, up from 89% last year. Deaths also remain at roughly triple the rates of a decade ago, with more than 2,000 killed in each of the last three years.
The percentage of prescription opioids present in opioid-related overdose deaths where there was a toxicology screen fell from 2014 through 2016 and has remained stable since, the state said. In the first quarter of 2019, approximately 15% of opioid-related overdose deaths had prescription opioids present in toxicology. The presence of heroin has fallen to 30% of deaths.
In statements, Gov. Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders called the new data a sign of continued progress in the state's fight against the opioid epidemic, which has been a widespread public health problem nationwide. The state is investing more than $246 million this year in prevention, treatment, recovery and education solutions, Baker said.
Wednesday's report did not include data at the municipal level, but despite the relative improvement statewide, opioid deaths continued rising last year in some communities, including Worcester. Fatalities in the city hit 97 in 2018, up from 80 the prior year and 24 in 2012.
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