United States: Authorities are raising the alarm after two people overdosed and a baby passed away in separate incidents this past week using fentanyl that was left unattended inside homes, according to the authorities.
Tragic Incidents Unfold in Separate Fentanyl Overdoses
Afternoon on Wednesday, a 911 caller reported that a 13-month-old baby was not breathing properly in an apartment in Everett, the Daily Herald reported. The baby died later at a hospital, according to the Everett Fire Department. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the baby’s official cause and manner of death officials said.
According to a news release from the Everett fire and police departments, an 11-month-old child’s parents discovered him or her unconscious last Saturday, prompting the dispatch of firemen to the home. Before firemen came and started more medical treatment, the infant was given the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, according to investigators. After being brought to a hospital, the baby was later released.
This six-month-old baby was having trouble breathing; arriving firefighters found the infant unresponsive and administered medical care, including Narcan, though the baby, as of now, is in stable condition at Seattle Children’s Hospital, according to the news release.
Investigations Underway as Fentanyl-Related Deaths Spark Alarm
According to authorities, investigators don’t think the crimes are related. They stated that the instances are still being investigated. Thus, they withheld any other information, including whether or not someone had been taken into custody.
According to the news release, “The City of Everett is deeply concerned about the increasing fentanyl overdoses that involve young children.” It also stated that fentanyl and opioid addiction are becoming a major problem to focus on as this affects the youth of the nation.
A very potent substance known as fentanyl is increasingly being mixed with heroin or other opiates in powder form. It has played a major role in the current overdose crisis in the United States. Youngsters are particularly susceptible to overdosing since even tiny amounts of the opioid’s leftovers can be lethal.
Fentanyl’s Deadly Impact on Young Children Raises Deep Enterprises
Thirty-eight children under the age of 18 failed in Washington from opioid-affiliated overdoses in 2022, according to state Department of Health data, more than three times as numerous as in 2019, according to The Seattle Times. Information from the state Department of Health indicates that all but one were connected to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two big jumps went up slightly in 2022, and drug overdose in the United States became popular, though the provisional data for the first nine months of 2023 suggests it inched up again last year.