Five deaths in Abbotsford prompt illicit drug warning from Interior Health

Interior Health is warning people in Kelowna and Kamloops that more lethal illicit drugs could be in the B.C. interior.

Five fatal overdoses occurred in less than 10 hours in Abbotsford on Friday.

Fentanyl alone has contributed to the deaths of several Canadians every day in 2017, according to statistics from various provincial agencies. The drug is disproportionately harming people in Western Canada, according to statistics.

While Interior Health encourages people to refrain from using street drugs, it has also issued tips for those who continue to use.

• Don’t mix different drugs (including pharmaceutical medications, street drugs and alcohol)
• Don’t take drugs when you are alone. Leave door unlocked. Tell someone to check on you.
• Use less and pace yourself. Do testers to check strength — take a small sample of a drug before
  taking your usual dosage.
• Keep an eye out for your friends – stay together and look out for each other.
• Carry a Naloxone kit and know how to use it. A list of locations to get a kit can be found on the
  Interior Health website.
• Recognize the signs of an OD: Slow or no breathing, gurgling or gasping, lips/fingertips turning
  blue, difficult to rouse (awaken), non-responsive.
• If someone thinks they may be having an overdose or is witnessing an overdose, follow the SAVE
  ME steps and call 911 immediately, do not delay.

Interior Health has mobile supervised consumption services available in both Kelowna and Kamloops.