The estimated number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S.have been dropping for months and are now at their lowest levels in three years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Deaths from overdoses dropped for the first time in five years in 2023, following a steady rise during the pandemic.
However, the current number of overdose deaths still remains higher than pre-pandemic levels.In April 2024, the latest month with data, the estimated number of deaths in the past 12 months was 101,168, according to the CDC.The last month with figures that low was in May of 2021, with 100,997 deaths.STOCK PHOTO/Getty ImagesData from other sources, such as emergency department visits and calls to EMS, support the downward trend, according to an analysis led by Dr.
Nabarun Dasgupta, a senior scientist at the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.He tells ABC News that the data may point to 20,000 fewer deaths annually, or more.While experts continue to explore possible reasons driving the decline, there are a few public health initiatives to curb drug overdoses that may be showing signs of success.MORE: Drug overdose deaths fell in 2023, 1st decrease in 5 years: CDC“Enhanced access to naloxone, expanded treatment programs for opioid use disorder, and increased public awareness about the dangers of synthetic opioids like fentanyl are likely playing significant roles in saving lives,” said Dr.
John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.Another potential explanation for the downturn, Dasgupta says, may be related to changes in the drug supply, such as more people using xylazine, a dangerous, non-opioid animal sedative that's often mixed with other illicit drugs, including fentanyl.“Xylazine makes people use less fentanyl, is the bottom line,” Dasgupta told ABC News, while citing research that showed that those who overdosed a...