New Brunswick distributing naloxone kits in wake of 17 opioid-related deaths

Smith called the 2,500 kits a good start, but said officials will have a better handle on how many are needed once the program gets underway.

The kits include naloxone, single-use syringes, a pair of latex gloves, alcohol swabs, a one-way rescue breathing barrier mask and step-by-step instructions.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, acting chief medical officer of health, said 25 people died in New Brunswick due to drugs during the first six months of this year — 17 of them related to opioids.

“Today’s street drugs are deadlier than ever and opioids, including fentanyl, are having a devastating effect throughout Canada. Although we are not seeing a major spike in overdoses here in New Brunswick, we need to be prepared,” Russell said.

Last week, Russell announced that the powerful drug carfentanil was found in the system of an individual who died recently in southern New Brunswick.

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid about 100 times more powerful than fentanyl.

It only takes an amount equivalent to a grain of salt, or two milligrams of carfentanil powder, to be lethal through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin.

The drug can be mixed with other drugs and cannot be detected unless tested in a laboratory.

Russell said what makes it so dangerous is that people don’t know it’s being included in other street drugs.

She said New Brunswick is learning from other provinces on how to address the opioid issue, especially from British Columbia, which declared a public health emergency in 2016 because of the number of fentanyl overdoses.

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

New Brunswick distributing naloxone kits in wake of 17 opioid-related deaths

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