Death toll rises in opioid overdoses in Ga.

New drug surfaces in area that has yet to be identified

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — As many as four people have died in the past several days as a wave of opioid overdoses has swept through communities in middle Georgia, health officials said Tuesday afternoon.

More than a dozen overdose cases have been reported so far in three emergency departments in Bibb County and some surrounding counties in the two days prior, said Chris Hendry, chief medical officer at NavicentHealth in Macon.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported earlier Tuesday that dozens of overdoses have been reported in Macon, Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins and Albany. Some people were found unconscious and not breathing and had to be put on ventilators.

More reports were coming in and the number of deaths could rise, said GBI spokeswomanNelly Miles.

“There is a new drug that’s surfaced in our community,” Dr. Hendry with Navicent saidduring a news conference Tuesday.

The drug, which is being sold on the streets as Percocet, can cause severe levels of unconsciousness and respiratory failure, Dr. Hendry said.

He warned residents not to take any medications other than those prescribed by a physician or obtained at a pharmacy.

“The substance has not yet been identified but it is extremely potent and has requiredmassive doses of naloxone (Narcan) to counteract its effects,” the Georgia Department of Health said. “Testing is being done to identify the pillsand the ingredients.”

It’s possible the drug could be a homemade compound using the powerful opioid fentanyl, which has been linked to overdose deaths across the nation, Dr. Hendry said.

People affected have reported the drug as “yellow pills” being marketed on the street as the pain medication Percocet, according to law enforcement.

A rising tide of opioid addiction has been feeding an escalating public health crisis nationally and in Georgia.

There were likely more than 59,000 drug overdose deathsin the United States in 2016,the largest annual jump everrecorded.