On Wednesday between midnight and 8 a.m. in Kentucky, Louisville Metro Emergency services responded to about 52 overdose-related calls. This is according to the agency spokesman Mitchell Burmeister.
This is said to be a very big jump when compared to last week’s 25 overdose calls that were received in the same 32-hour time frame, reports Fox 59.
Though a breakdown of causes of the overdose cases was not available, Burmeister confirmed that most of the phone calls were related to heroin overdoses. Paramedics also dealt with most control substances such as medication prescription, overdose of alcohol among other drugs.
There were no any overdose deaths reported, but according to Burmeister, one heroin addict passed away while riding in a car that crushed. He added that the car driver was also using heroin.
Other clusters
Overdose of such kind are said to pop up in different and several spots and the authorities are not sure of the reason.
This month, it was reported that at least 14 people died in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, after opioid overdoses over a weekend.
This year, above 60% of the autopsies involving drug overdose deaths as already been conducted at the coroner’s office located in Montgomery County, Ohio.
In the whole nation, the causes of opioid overdoses are blamed on a pain reliever that is often prescribed to the cancer patients known as fentanyl, and heroin.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2014 to 2015 there has been an increment of 72.2% in death rates from synthetic opioids and fentanyl included.
On their side, Louisville authorities say that they cannot tell if fentanyl-laced heroin cause the overdoses in the region since it is too early to do that.
Louisville responds
When answering 695 overdose calls in January, Metro Emergency Service said that in Louisville, heroin is not a new problem.
On February 2 during the State of the City address Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said that 150 more officers were to be hired in the police department, and new squads of detectives, two in number are to be added to address the crimes that involve narcotics.
Emergency medical director from Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville Dr. Robert Couch said that more overdoses patients are being treated in the hospitals and they require naloxone (a medication that is sold under the brand name of Narcan and is used for opioid overdosed) in large amount.
