Santa Clara County health officials sound alarm over deadly opioid carfentanil
Health officials are sounding the alarm over what they're calling a new threat after Santa Clara County recently confirmed its first carfentanil overdose death.
There's a thick stack of papers that sits on a shelf directly across from Dr. Michelle Jorden's desk. The Santa Clara County's Chief Medical Examiner flips through the toxicology reports, each sheet representing a drug overdose death.
"I can constantly survey what our patients are dying from," said Dr. Jorden.
The Medical Examiner's Office confirmed late last month the first overdose death due to carfentanil, a synthetic opioid about 10,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl.
"The reason why this death is so important to report is because we have a very high suspicion that the fake pills we observed on scene were laced with Carfentanil," said Dr. Jorden.
Authorities found fake oxycodone pills at the scene where a 39-year-old male was found dead.
They say counterfeit M30 pills, or any other pill purchased on the streets, could be laced with carfentanil.
"When you buy a pill off the street, you have absolutely no idea what's in that pill," said Dr. Jorden.
Dr. Sarah Rudman is Santa Clara County's Public Health Director. Officials are pushing a more aggressive campaign, highlighting this latest public health threat.
"Some of the things that this coalition is working on include education about the new threat of carfentanil, to health care providers, community organizations and to our harm reduction clients who may be at risk of accidental Carfentanil exposure," said Dr. Rudman.
To mitigate the harms, the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project offers various avenues of support.
It provides overdose-reversing medication Naloxone, drug test strips, and help getting into treatment.
"We've handed out flyers, held trainings for health care providers, and worked directly with our clients who come to us in the field for a wide range of services to make sure they're hearing from a trusted source exactly what they need to know about this new risk," said Dr. Rudman.
Health officials say minimal exposure to carfentanil, including skin contact or inhalation of airborne powder, can result in death.
"It is a constant reminder that we have to continue every day to monitor for any type of new drugs that are emerging," said Dr. Jorden.
It's a reminder and a warning of a deadly drug that's already here, and its potential impact.
The Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project now offers free naloxone by mail to anyone 18 or older to anyone who lives in Santa Clara County.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
20 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Marijuana to Treat Autism? Some Parents Say Yes
Marijuana is becoming easier to get in many states, and one group showing interest might surprise you: parents of children with autism. In online and support groups, families swap tips and share experiences—even though the science is still inconclusive. Most doctors don't prescribe cannabis and usually advise against it.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Genetic variant tied to doubled dementia risk for older men
A common genetic variant is linked to a doubled dementia risk for older men, a recent analysis in Neurology suggests. The study used data from Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE), which followed elderly patients in the United States and Australia with no history of cardiovascular disease, dementia or cognitive decline between 2010 and 2017.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The secret to a longer life could be this old-fashioned English breakfast
The best news in a long time is that a breakfast of scrambled eggs and fish — kippers, say, or smoked salmon — combined with a few cups of coffee isn't just a great way to start your day, but is also likely to make you live healthier and longer. So report two separate scientific studies. Israel-Iran clash delivers a fresh shock to investors. History suggests this is the move to make. I'm in my 80s and have 2 kids. How do I choose between them to be my executor? These defense stocks offer the best growth prospects, as the Israel-Iran conflict fuels new interest in the sector 'I'm 68 and my 401(k) has dwindled to $82,000': My husband committed financial infidelity and has $50,000 in credit-card debt. What now? 'He failed in his fiduciary duty': My brother liquidated our mother's 401(k) for her nursing home. He claimed the rest. Eggs — specifically egg yolks — and oily fish like herrings and salmon are rich sources of vitamin D, and new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that this vitamin, in particular, may help slow aging. Meanwhile, other research suggests that drinking up to 2½ regular cups of coffee a day can raise your chances of living longer and staying healthy — physically and mentally — in your senior years. What's not to like? The study on vitamin D, conducted among a population of older Americans by researchers at Mass General Brigham, the University of Massachusetts and the Medical College of Georgia, found that those who took a daily vitamin D supplement of 2,000 IU, or international units, a day — meaning 50 micrograms a day — experienced a significant benefit in a key area of cellular aging known as 'telomere shortening.' Telomeres are the crucial protective caps at the ends of our DNA strands (they are sometimes compared to the plastic caps at the ends of shoelaces), and they are critical to cellular health. They typically shorten as we age and as cells divide. 'We found that vitamin D3 supplementation significantly reduced telomere attrition over a four-[year] period … suggesting that vitamin D3 daily supplementation with or without n-3 FAs might have a role in counteracting telomere erosion or cell senescence,' researchers wrote. (This particular study found no health benefit from another prominent ingredient in oily fish, namely Omega-3 oils — but many others have done so.) Meanwhile, research unveiled at the annual jamboree of the American Society for Nutrition, held in the scientific hot spot of Orlando, Fla., finds that drinking up to 2½ cups of regular caffeinated coffee per day may help you live longer and healthier. Decaffeinated coffee and colas showed no benefits, they added. The researchers did not examine whether a healthy, life-extending coffee also includes, say, one of those extra-large 500-calorie desserts, complete with caramel syrup, sprinkles and whipped cream, which some people pick up every morning (at the drive-thru, so they don't have to walk to the counter). Hmm … what do you think? Some headlines have emphasized that the study found a health benefit only in women, but this is a bit misleading. The researchers didn't reveal a health benefit in men not because they couldn't find one, but because they didn't look. The study only involved following women — nearly 50,000 of them — over several decades. (One caveat is that some of the researchers involved in both studies teach at Harvard — so for about half of the U.S. population, this is probably just 'fake news.') The latest research adds to a growing accumulation of knowledge about what we should do if we want to raise our chances of living longer and healthier lives. Each individual study is open to challenges and queries, because they are always conducted in the real, outside world, where countless unmeasured factors will interfere with the results. You cannot genetically engineer 10,000 identical humans, keep them in a laboratory for 80 years and subject them to laboratory-condition tests over that time. But overall, the real-world results have tended to point in some clear directions. The big picture of how to lead a healthy lifestyle is best summarized by research into so-called blue zones, meaning areas of the world — from Okinawa, Japan to Sardinia, Italy — where scientists have found that people tend to live the longest and the healthiest lives. According to the Blue Zones Institute, based on what scientists and researchers have observed about people living in these areas, there are five key areas to focus on: eating a healthy diet; staying physically active; socializing with friends and family a lot; having some sense of purpose or higher belief; and doing things that lower stress. On the issue of food, the 'Mediterranean diet' tends to get the most scientific support: lots of fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains; only small amounts of meat; and very little processed food or refined carbohydrates. I don't know if fish for breakfast is Mediterranean, or just old school. In Victorian England, breakfast staples in wealthier households included kippers and kedgeree. Kippers, also known back then as 'red herrings,' are smoked herrings. (You can buy them in cans in U.S. supermarkets, often from Canada. The contents can be heated in a microwave in seconds.) Kedgeree, almost unknown on our side of the Atlantic, is a cold dish involving fish, egg, curry powder and rice. Both may be acquired tastes. Personally, as I grew up with them, I find them both exquisite — and vastly superior to any sugared cereal. If these things make a comeback, as 'health foods' no less, it can only be good news. 'It might be another Apple or Microsoft': My wife invested $100K in one stock and it exploded 1,500%. Do we sell? My friend wants me to join in a political protest. I'm worried about my job. Am I a coward if I say no? My husband is in hospice care. Friends say his children are lining up for his money. What can I do? 'I'm not wildly wealthy, but I've done well': I'm 79 and have $3 million in assets. Should I set up 529 plans for my grandkids? My mother-in-law thought the world's richest man needed Apple gift cards. How on Earth could she fall for this scam?
