Drug poisoning alert issued for Peterborough area after spike in ED visits

A spike in emergency department (ED) visits on Monday has triggered another drug poisoning alert for the Peterborough, Ont., region.

Peterborough Public Health issued the alert on Tuesday, noting emergency department visits were “high” on Monday. No specific details have been provided.

The health unit — which serves Peterborough, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation — says the substance which led to the overdoses has yet to be determined.

The latest alert comes as the health unit reported a record-high 78 suspected fatal drug overdoses within its jurisdiction in 2023, surpassing the 59 reported in 2022 — a 32-per cent increase.

The health unit says the 78 deaths is equivalent to one person dying from a drug poisoning every five days.

Throughout 2023 there were 424 emergency department visits for drug poisonings — up from 405 reported in 2022, according to the health unit’s opioids harm portal.

In mid-December 2a023, the health unit reported a spike in emergency department visits due to light grey-blue fentanyl which was determined to be mixed with xylazine and benzodiazepines.

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 (new hours open 9:30 a.m. to 9 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 line 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.