P.E.I. CPHO says spike in fentanyl overdoses 'highest number we've seen' in 1 day

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer is warning Islanders about street sales offentanyl in the Charlottetown area.

In a news release late Thursday afternoon, the provincial government noted an increase in overdoses being reported in the city in the previous 24 hours. No deaths have been reported in relation to this cluster of overdoses.

The release said the street drug is being sold in orange chunks.

Friday, Dr. Heather Morrison told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin that there were seven overdoses reported in that 24-hour period.

"It's certainly the highest number that we've seen. We've issued alerts before [when] we've seen two or three in a day," she said."It's the concentration that's of the biggest concern for us."

Morrison said analysis is still being conducted to determine the concentration offentanyl in the drug. Itcan be 50 to 100 times more potent than a basic opioid.

How to get help

Phone-based supervised consumption services are available for those using street drugs, including the National Overdose Response Service and Brave. Both services are available 24/7 and are free, confidentialand non-judgmental.

The province had these further recommendations for street drug users:

• Do not use drugs alone.
• Have naloxone on hand.
• Start with a test dose. Start low, go slow.

If you are with someone experiencing an overdose do not hesitate to call 911, the province's release said.Canada's Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects you from charges for simple drug possession.

'We do worry'

On Thursday, the City of Belleville, Ont. declared a state of emergency after a cluster of 23 overdoses since Tuesday.

Morrison said health officials in P.E.I. have the same concerns, which is why the province distributes naloxone andoffers needle exchanges and drug-testing strips.

"Wedo worry," said Morrison. "This monitoring is really important and this rapid-response protocol when we hear about it and trying to get the information out to our community partners and work with the police."

7 fentanyl overdoses in 1 day worries P.E.I. CPHO

8 months ago

Duration 7:06

P.E.I.s top doctor is warning Islanders about street sales of fentanyl in Charlottetown after a spike in overdoses.

While the public health office tries to monitor overdoses and get information to families and communities, Morrison said there is more that can be done to ensure drugs are consumed safely.

"It's a hard thing for people to talk about," she said. "We're doing some of those things, but I think we need to be able to talk about things like overdose prevention sites ... we want to talk about some machinery where people can leave tiny amounts of their drugs to have them checked before they're used so [they] get the best information about the drugs they're going to use so they don't overdose.

"It's certainly a signal, having that many [overdoses] in one day, that we have to be careful."