Public health officials have issued an alert for the Peterborough area following a spike in suspected drug poisonings on the weekend.
On Monday, Peterborough Public Health issued the drug poisoning alert following an increase in drug overdoses within its jurisdiction. Official numbers were not provided.
The health unit serves Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
The health unit says the the drug involved is believed to be light grey-blue fentanyl which has been mixed with xylazine and benzodiazepines.
Xylazine is a tranquillizer used in animals by veterinarians. Benzodiazepines are often used as sedatives and tranquillizers.
Health officials say symptoms of the drug may include agitation and heaviness.
Opioid harms portal
The health unit’s regional opioid harms portal reports that from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2023, there have been 62 suspected drug-related deaths within the health unit’s jurisdiction — approximately one death every six days.
There were six deaths reported each month for September, October and November.
Over a 12-month period, December 2022 to November 2023, there have been 68 deaths. There were 59 suspected fatal drug poisonings for 2022 — approximately one person every seven days.
November saw 36 emergency department visits for suspected drug poisonings — on par with data for September and October (37 each month)
As of the end of November, there have been 389 emergency department visits for drug poisonings so far in 2023 — including 50 in August.
In November, there were 30 opioid poisoning calls made to 911 which saw emergency medical services respond. From December 2022 to November 2023, there were 346 calls for service. Of the calls for service, 71 per cent involved men. Approximately 67 per cent of the 911 calls were for people between the ages of 25 to 44.
The health unit reports that approximately 16 per cent of 911 calls saw paramedics use naloxone which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Precautions
The health unit advises that anyone who uses drugs, or knows someone who does, should take the following precautions:
- Don’t use drugs alone — visit the Consumption Treatment Services site at 220 Simcoe St. in Peterborough (open 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily).
- Test a small amount of the drug before you use it.
- Avoid mixing drugs or sharing drugs.
- Avoid using damaged or modified pipes/needles.
- If you are alone, call the National Overdose Response Service (NORS) virtual safe consumption at 1-888-668-NORS (6677), or call a friend.
- Ensure that emergency services can be contacted in the event of an overdose.
- Keep multiple naloxone kits on hand which help reverse the effects of an overdose. You can get a kit at most pharmacies and needle exchange sites. To find out how to access naloxone visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca and search for “opioids” or find the Accessing Naloxone pdf.
Use Peterborough Public Health’s Drug Reporting Tool to anonymously report overdose incidents and harms in the community. Under Canada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, anyone who seeks medical help for themselves or for someone else who has overdosed will not be charged for possessing or using drugs for personal use.
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