Unintentional Drug Overdose Fatalities in Philadelphia, 2019

In Philadelphia, PA, unintentional drug overdoses contribute to significant premature mortality, with 1,217 deaths in 2017 and 1,116 deaths in 2018. Most overdose deaths in Philadelphia involve opioids, a class of drugs that includes heroin and pharmaceutical painkillers like oxycodone. Over the past decade, fentanyl, an extremely strong synthetic opioid, has emerged as the main driver of increasing overdose fatalities. While fentanyl was involved in less than 10% of drug overdose deaths in Philadelphia in 2010, it was involved in 76% of deaths in 2018. This issue of CHART summarizes trends in unintentional drug overdose fatalities through 2019. All data shown are from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. <a href="https://medium.com/@PHLPublicHealth/unintentional-drug-overdose-fatalities-in-philadelphia-2019-94d72ee082fe">Click Here</a>