The United States sees a sudden decrease in the death of an overdose.
The country witnessed a 25.7 % decrease in the death of an overdose of drugs in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to what he said. Disease control and prevention centers. This has been the lowest number of excess deaths in the 12 -month period since 2020.
It reached about 46 states a decrease from 2023 to 2024. Virginia noticed a significant decrease in deaths – a decrease of 41.6 %. (Dilayer followed a 38.4 % decrease and West Virginia reported a 36.7 % decrease.) California, the largest state of the population and recorded most of the overdose, has witnessed a decrease of 22.5 % on an annual basis.
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After years of the epidemic, good news about the death of the extra dose is both clear. Not only was 46 states a decrease, but the total deaths decreased by more than 27,000 in one year.
But public health experts stop before they explores any bells of victory.
“This is a truly important moment to pay attention to the trends. Do not announce victory, but to increase our commitment to work together on this,” says Howard Koh, Professor of Public Health at Harvard Public Health College.
“We need the current administration to escalate and speed up momentum and not to reduce its commitment through financing discounts and the status of public health workers at the federal and federal level,” says Dr. Koh.
There are many simultaneous factors that have contributed to the decrease in deaths in the overdose.
Some prevailing theories include: increased access to naluxon, which can reflect the effects of the overdose; Increased access to evidence -based treatment for drug use disorders; And the resumption of services after the disorders related to the epidemic. The transformations of illegal drug supplies have also played a role.
“In general, there is more attention to public health and public safety to work together to address the crisis,” says Dr. Koh, who held the position of public health advisor during the Obama administration. “We have learned that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem.”
In 2017, the US Department of Health and Humanitarian Services announced that the opioid crisis is a state of public health. The epidemic worsened, with an increase in excessive dose deaths due to isolation and increased use of fentanel. At its peak in 2022, nearly 108,000 people died due to an overdose, According to the National Institute for Narcotics use.
“It is in advance to see that the expected excessive dose deaths decrease by more than 27,000 over one year,” said Alison Arodi, director of the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Against A. press release. “This is more than 70 life that is rescued every day.”
However, public health experts, such as Dr. Koh, remain “careful but they hope” to continue the declining direction.
“This is not the time to take the foot from the pedal,” he says.
