Fentanyl, carfentanil deaths explode in 2017

Carfentanil deaths saw a massive 330-per-cent spike year over year in Alberta. Meanwhile, the average number of people dying in Alberta from accidental fentanyl poisonings has surpassed one life every day.

The number of carfentanil deaths in Calgary alone between Jan. 1 and Nov. 11, 2017, rose to 61 compared to eight in the same time frame in 2016, said the Opioids Substances Misuse Alberta Q4 Interim Report 2017 released Friday. The rate of carfentanil poisoning deaths per 100,000 in Edmonton rose to 3.0 from 1.1 in 2016.

Mortality data may take six months or longer in the case of accidental drug poisoning related to fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue, so those numbers could change, a disclaimer in the report said.

The report showed 462 people died accidentally from fentanyl in the first three quarters of 2017, up from 293 in the same period in the previous year.

The statistics were released a day after Alberta Health Services warned naloxone kits were sent out with missing vials.

Naloxone temporarily reverses the effect of an opioid overdose for drugs such as fentanyl, carfentanil and heroin.

People who have naloxone kits with missing vials are being asked to return them to a distribution site.

Anyone with questions on the naloxone kits can call Health Link at 811. More information on naloxone is available at www.drugsafe.ca.