New York, .- The Department of Health of New York launched on Tuesday an awareness campaign that seeks to stop overdose deaths, which in this city remains at levels of epidemic, caused mostly by fentanyl.
According to the health agency, every six hours a person dies of an overdose in New York. In 2017, there were 1,487 confirmed deaths and fentanyl was the most common drug in 57% of cases.
From January to September of 2018, 1,055 were registered, he said in a press release in which he also noted that overdose deaths remain at epidemic levels in the city and that the number has increased for seven consecutive years.
By 2018, preliminary information indicates that the trend continued for that year, the agency warned in a press release.
In the campaign, which has a cost of $ 730,000, Salud advises those who use drugs not to do so when they are alone and avoid mixing drugs.
They also warn that fentanyl – a short-acting opioid 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin – is present in other drugs: heroin, cocaine powder, cocaine in stone, methamphetamine and ketamine, as well as pills They are sold as opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines.
“Fentanyl is in the supply of illegal drugs and is intensifying the epidemic of overdose in New York,” said Health Director Oxiris Barbot.
“People who use drugs should know that there are ways to reduce their risk of overdose If you use drugs, do not do it alone, because if you overdose, someone else can call 911. This information can save lives,” he said. Barbot.
The awareness campaign will be present in the metro, buses and kiosks of the city as well as advertising boards, web pages, the Staten Island ferry terminal, as well as neighborhoods with the highest rate of deaths from overdoses. (EFEUSA)
