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The overwhelming majority of these in New York Metropolis who obtained a naloxone equipment to counteract opioid overdose had a excessive want for the drug, in response to a examine by Weill Cornell Medication investigators and the New York Metropolis Division of Well being and Psychological Hygiene.
The examine, revealed Jan. 16 within the Journal of City Well being, discovered that 97% of people that obtained naloxone kits by way of numerous opioid overdose prevention packages have been at excessive threat of overdosing or witnessing an overdose. However the authors famous fentanyl overdoses nonetheless disproportionally have an effect on some racial and ethnic teams greater than others.
Greater than half of the overdose deaths in New York Metropolis in 2017 concerned fentanyl, an opioid-derived drug that has taken over the illicit opioid drug market. With 56% of deadly overdoses involving the opioid, the Well being Division responded by distributing greater than 100,000 naloxone kits in 2018, containing a drugs engineered to reverse opioid overdoses.
In addition they elevated the variety of opioid overdose prevention packages to greater than 300 by the tip of 2023, specializing in populations and neighborhoods with the best want, and have continued to extend distribution of naloxone citywide.
The examine, led by Dr. Czarina Behrends, assistant professor of inhabitants well being sciences at Weill Cornell Medication, with information assortment and evaluation from employees on the Well being Division’s Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care, and Therapy, particularly seemed on the race and ethnicity of those that obtained naloxone from the totally different opioid overdose prevention packages throughout the town.
The analysis crew analyzed information collected on the 79,555 naloxone kits distributed between April 2018 and March 2019. The authors seemed on the particular prevention packages concerned and in addition recognized neighborhoods affected by excessive overdoses, in addition to the age, race, and ethnicity of their populations.
Of the 69,333 individuals who obtained naloxone throughout the time interval, the authors outlined 97.3% as having a better threat than others of seeing somebody overdose or probably overdosing themselves.
The authors didn’t see vital disparities throughout racial and ethnic traces among the many recipients of the naloxone kits. But sure racial teams remained extra impacted by opioid overdoses, together with older Black males in addition to Latino and Latina teams, which the authors state is an indication for added efforts to handle these disparities.
“Evaluating naloxone distribution strategies to assess gaps in naloxone coverage and to ensure that programs equitably reach people at high risk of witnessing or experiencing an overdose at different venues is an important objective for OEND [overdose education and naloxone dispensing efforts] programs,” the authors said.
“However, multi-pronged approaches beyond OEND are needed to address racial/ethnic disparities in opioid overdose death.”
Extra info:
Journal of City Well being (2025).
Supplied by
Weill Cornell Medical Faculty
Quotation:
Analysis highlights prevention efforts in fentanyl overdoses (2025, January 16)
retrieved 16 January 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-01-highlights-efforts-fentanyl-overdoses.html
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