Accidental opioid poisoning deaths decreased slightly in Fort McMurray last year, as predicted in the third quarter of 2018.
According to the Alberta Opioid Response Surveillance Report for the fourth quarter of 2018, 11 people died from overdoses related to fentanyl, compared to 14 the previous year.
There are no reported drug poisoning deaths related to opioids other than fentanyl.
While that number has gone down, the number of Emergency Medical Services responses to opioid-related events increased in the region, from 58 to 65.
Province-wide the report shows that 746 people died from opioid poisoning, an average of 2 people every day. Of those 88 per cent were fentanyl related.
Both fentanyl and non-fentanyl related overdoses were mostly male.
Among both men and women, the highest number of fentanyl related deaths were people between the ages of 25 and 29, while non-fentanyl deaths in men were between the ages of 50 and 59 and in women between 30 and 34.
The most frequent health care utilization within 30 days before a person’s fentanyl related death was a mental health or substance use visit.
Although the report also shows that opioid dispensing is down 17.5 per cent in the province, the most frequent health care utilization among deaths not related to fentanyl was having an opioid dispensed from a community pharmacy.
Since 2016, 1,846 people have died from accidental opioid poisoning in the province.
