The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says it has corrected a study on the rate of opioid misuse.
Back in March, the health unit reported 43 opioid-related deaths in 2015, an increase of almost 190% from 2003.
The new report says the rate of opioid-related deaths in Windsor-Essex was 5.9 per 100,000 residents, and 8.8 in the City of Windsor. That is 24 deaths in the city and county, including 19 in Windsor. The period has been corrected to say between 2007 and 2015.
At its peak, the rate of deaths in Windsor was 14.7 per 100,000 in 2011 in the city, and 9.3 in the county.
"The error does not diminish the value of the report, or the impact opioid misuse is having on our community," says Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Wajid Ahmed. "Opioid misuse continues to remain a significant public health concern as evidenced by the number of opioid-related hospitalizations, opioid-related emergency department visits, and the number of users in our community."
Under the Ontario Disability Program, opioids were dispensed to 27,984 people in 2015, rate 18.9% higher than the provincial average. The number also does not reflect the rate of users who obtain the drugs illegally.
Other information in the original report remains accurate.
Emergency department visits were 3.6 times greater in 2015 than 2003, and Windsor residents had 2.8-times more visits than county residents.
"This experience has provided many valuable lessons on how the health unit receives and shares data with our partners," says Acting CEO and Director of Health Protection Theresa Marentette. "We will continue to explore new data sets to gain a greater understanding of public health issues for our community."
