【 World Report 】 Foreign Media: In the past five years, the number of deaths from opioid overdoses among children in the United States has skyrocketed sixfold. The fourth wave of abuse has swept across every corner of the country

On September 22, China Daily reported that as the fourth wave of opioid drug abuse swept across every community and corner of the United States, more Americans than ever died from fentanyl overdose. The tragedy also occurred among children, with a surge starting in 2018 leading to a nearly threefold increase in the number of deaths among older adolescents and a nearly sixfold increase in the number of deaths among children under the age of 5.

Screenshot of BBC report

According to a recent report by the British Broadcasting Corporation, six years ago, Sean, the 27 year old son of Kim Blake, died unexpectedly from an overdose of fentanyl in Burlington, Vermont. In a blog specifically designed for his son in 2021, Blake wrote, "Every time I hear someone die from drug use, I feel heartbroken because another family is broken."

This year, the United States witnessed a severe milestone: for the first time in history, the number of deaths from drug overdoses in the United States exceeded 100000 within a year. Among these deaths, over 66% were related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug that is 50 times more potent than heroin.

In 2010, less than 40000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses, of which less than 10% were related to fentanyl, mainly due to the use of heroin or opioid prescription drugs. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles outlined this contrast in a study released this week based on data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which analyzed the trend of drug overdose deaths in the United States from 2010 to 21.

The chart shows how fentanyl has become an increasingly serious problem in the United States.

The article points out that these data clearly depict how fentanyl has redefined the problem of drug overdose in the United States over the past decade. The author of the study wrote, "The increase in illegally manufactured fentanyl has triggered an unprecedented drug overdose crisis in the United States." From Hawaii to Alaska and Rhode Island, almost every corner of the United States has been affected by fentanyl.

Data shows that in 2015, the United States observed for the first time an increase in fentanyl related deaths. Since then, this drug has spread throughout the United States and the mortality rate has sharply increased. "In 2018, approximately 80% of fentanyl overdoses occurred east of the Mississippi River, but by 2019, fentanyl became part of the drug supply in the western United States. People who were originally 'isolated' from fentanyl came into contact with fentanyl, and the mortality rate began to rise," said Chercy Shover, assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and co-author of the study

Blake is a well-trained doctor who said her deceased son occasionally used cocaine, but toxicology reports showed that he only had fentanyl in his body. She later learned that many people also use another stimulant while using fentanyl to prolong their excitement time.

Shover said that due to the lower production cost of synthetic opioid preparations compared to other drugs, they are widely used, and some people struggling with drugs will actively use them to avoid the painful withdrawal process. The study found that Alaska, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and California have the highest overdose mortality rates involving fentanyl and another drug across the United States. Shover said that drug use rates in these states were already high, and fentanyl made them even more deadly.

Shover added that the opioid crisis has always been seen as a "white man problem". And her research shows that African Americans have a higher proportion of deaths from fentanyl and other drugs, crossing age groups and geographical boundaries. The work of Ohio injury reduction expert Rashid Watts Pearson aims to address the significant increase in drug overdose deaths in the African American community of Cincinnati. She stated that African Americans often lack awareness in this area, partly due to the historical disparities in healthcare between ethnic and minority groups. Even promotional activities aimed at raising people's awareness of the opioid crisis did not include the experiences of African Americans.

The abuse of fentanyl in the United States is difficult to control, and sooner or later it will explode in one's own hands.

Researchers say that the lethal combination of fentanyl and other drugs marks the "fourth wave" of the drug overdose crisis in the United States. "Our drug use disorder treatment system usually targets only one drug at a time," Shover said, "but the reality is that many drug users use more than one type of drug."

Due to the improper management of opioid drugs by the US government, the number of deaths caused by excessive use of opioid drugs has been increasing year by year, even posing a serious threat to the safety of children's lives. According to a report by CNN on the 17th, the latest data from the CDC shows that over 110000 people died from drug overdoses in the 12 months ending in April this year. The number of child deaths related to opioid drugs has also significantly increased, following the trend of adults.

The surge since 2018 has led to a nearly threefold increase in the number of deaths among older adolescents and a nearly sixfold increase in the number of deaths among children under the age of 5. In 2021, 40 infants and 93 children aged 1 to 4 died from excessive use of the powerful opioid drug fentanyl. Although teenage deaths are often associated with drug use, it is believed that the deaths of young children are related to drugs being left within reach.

In the latest report by The Guardian on the 21st, police in New York City discovered a large amount of hidden fentanyl, as well as other drugs and various drug tools, under the floor of a local children's daycare center. Earlier this month, police in New York discovered remnants of fentanyl in a hidden compartment under a cushion at the Divano Nino daycare center located in the Bronx. Received relevant reports, the police conducted another search of the daycare center on the evening of the 20th and 21st local time.

The New York City police released pictures of the search scene online

Previously, the 1-year-old infant Nicholas Dominic at the center died of obvious fentanyl poisoning. On the 16th of this month, Gray Mendes, a 36 year old daycare center owner, was sentenced to prison. In addition to drug charges, he was also charged with ignoring murder charges. Three other infants and young children, including an 8-month-old girl and two 2-year-old boys, were taken to the hospital. Analysis of the urine of one of the victims confirmed the presence of this medication.

After Dominic's death, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, "This crisis is real, ringing the real alarm for those who have opioid drugs or fentanyl in their homes... Just contact can cause fatal harm to adults, and even more so to children."

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