Officials at the Windsor Essex County Health Unit say they are very concerned after issuing alerts for high number of opioid overdoses two weeks in a row.
Between June 21 and July 4, there were 47 opioid overdoses reported by Emergency Departments in the region, 36 of them involved fentanyl. During that same time there were six drug-related deaths.
"It's very difficult to put a direct cause when we see an alert like this come out and our rates of overdose or suspected opioid related deaths increase and spike like this," said Eric Nadalin, Program Director for Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction.
Nadalin indicated this is the first time since the alert system was launched in 2018 that alerts were issued in consecutive weeks.
While a direct cause cannot be determined, Nadalin said a contributing factor could be the heat in the region which increases the risk of substance-related harms.
"Issues related to dehydration, thermal regulation, being able to cool your own body, hydration, are significant factors when it comes to overdose and we know this group is at a higher risk during those heat events," said Nadalin.
He said the drug supply currently circulating in the community is also a factor.
"The reactions, what people are experiencing is consistent with that of Medetomidine mixed in with their fentanyl and it's something we're finding in the data that we monitor through drug seizures in partnership with our police services," said Nadalin.
Medetomidine is a veterinary tranquilizer that can make someone very sleepy and often complicates overdose response.
These alerts are issued through the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy to notify service providers of risks in the community. As a safety measure, test strips have been distributed to many service providers so users can test for foreign substances in their illicit drugs.
