Alberta fentanyl deaths slow for first time in two years

For the first time in two years, the number of fentanyl-related deaths has gone down in Alberta.

Alberta Health reported 158 accidental fentanyl poisoning deaths in the first three months of the year, down from 183 in the last quarter of 2017.

"It's a little early to put too much weight on that," said Dr. Karen Grimsrud, Alberta's chief medical officer of health. "Sometimes we have additional cases that are reported as time progresses. However, we'll keep an eye on it and hope we're looking at the number of deaths being reported as decreasing over time."

Despite the quarter-to-quarter drop, the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Alberta isup 33 per cent compared tothe first quarter of 2017 and 129per cent from the first quarter of 2016.

Regional differences

The highest number of fentanyl-relateddeaths occurred in Alberta's two biggest cities.

In the Edmonton zone, there were 46 in the first three months of 2018. In Calgary, there were 75.

Alberta Health also tracks the neighbourhoods that have been hardest hit.

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In Edmonton, the highest rates of deathoccurred in the Eastwood, Bonnie Doonand west Millwoods neighbourhoods.

"The highest rates are in inner city neighbourhoods, but the actual number of deaths ishigher outside those neighbourhoods," Grimsrud said.

"So the approach in those two is going to be different. Ininner city neighbourhoods, you're going to look more at supervised consumption services, whereas in the suburbs, that may not be an approach that will really work, because it's more dispersed. So we may want to try other things.

"It's a little more difficult response to tell you the truth."

Ongoing task force

The province also announced on Tuesday it will extend the term of the minister'sOpioid Emergency Response Commission for another 18 months.

The commission includesharm-reduction experts,former opioidusers, parent advocates, and law enforcement officials, among others.It has released 26 recommendations, such as training more family doctors to provide addictions treatment, providing money to start up supervised consumption services in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbride, and funding opioid awareness projects.