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Drug Deaths Plummet After Years of Increases 

Drug Deaths Plummet After Years of Increases. Credit | Getty Images

United States – Preliminary numbers indicate that perhaps the deaths may be cresting in the United States after years of appalling increases in drug overdose, as reported by NBC News. 

Preliminary figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on Wednesday show drug overdose mortality declined 12.7% in the year to May. 

Decline in Overdose Deaths 

“This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths,” White House officials said in a statement. “And the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases in predicted 12-month total numbers of drug overdose deaths.” 

It’s also the first time since early 2021 that the figure dropped below 100,000, reaching 98,820 for the drug overdose estimates for the year 12-month period. 

It’s categorically good news. It is also somewhat unexpected to the public health pundit, who has been battling for years to reverse the trend of opioid fatalities, the number of which is still climbing predominantly due to fentanyl. 

Experts Surprised by Unexpected Drop 

In Cleveland, for instance, the number of deaths due to overdoses in the first three months of this year was only 40 percent of that recorded in the same period last year, according to Dr. David Margolius, the city’s public health director. 

One might only wonder what made the shop’s sales drop tremendously in an unanticipated manner. Measures to prevent overdoses, such as the expansion of the availability of Narcan, a rescue medicine that helps reverse an opioid overdose, were on the increase before the abrupt decline. 

Possible Reasons for Decline 

Most of the things we are doing we have been doing them over 10 years now. I’d love to say it’s finally working,” said Dr. Joan Papp, an emergency physician at Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center. “But boy, I don’t know. I wish I knew so I could store it.” 

One potential factor at play: People are not taking drugs individually, as was the case when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak. Now, they’re more likely to use it around other people who could call 911 or give a dose of Narcan. 

A continuing trend? 

The CDC noted that 41 states registered fewer deaths from drug overdose in the 12 months to May this year compared to a year earlier. 

“For the first time since at least 2018, national data for 2023 showed a decline in overdose deaths compared to the previous year,” Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, a group that represents health officials from the nation’s largest cities, said during a media briefing Thursday. “Provisional 2024 national data continues this trend.” 

The study also revealed a reduction even in New York City – the US’ largest metropolitan area. 

He added that during his outgoing briefing as the commissioner of New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that he was “cautiously and humbly excited” about the latest trends in drug overdose in the city. 

Local officials in Seattle, in their work, also copied what was happening at the national level. 

Local Success Stories from Seattle and Beyond 

“Year-over-year, we are actually beginning to observe a trend toward fewer overdose deaths for the first time in a few years,” Seattle’s Brad Finegood, who directs overdose and addiction programming, said in the briefing Thursday. 

The city reported an average of 22% decline of overdoses’ deaths during the first nine months of this year than in the previous year. The number of nonfatal overdoses declined, too, he said, as reported by NBC News. 

“That represents an extremely significant decline,” Finegood said. 

He said that in Seattle, about 85% of people who use drugs carry Narcan. 

“While we know that they can’t reverse their overdose, they’re often the first one on the scene and able to reverse an overdose that could be fatal, to bring somebody back to life,” he said. 

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Washington Hit by 2024 Bird Flu Outbreak 

Washington Hit by 2024 Bird Flu Outbreak. Credit | Reuters

United States – Health authorities in Washington State have reported four suspected human cases of bird flu, marking the sixth state in the U.S. to report such infections this year. Washington is investigating other possible exposures, with tests conducted on 25 individuals so far. 

Anxiety on Transmission of Virus to Livestock and Humans 

The recent infection of calves, cows, and farm workers with the virus has caused apprehension among scientists and federal agencies on vulnerability of human beings. Scientists point to the risk of a new virus being created by simultaneously contracting bird flu and seasonal flu and its ability to spread through people, as reported by Reuters. 

Preventive Measures for Farm Workers 

Due to this rising threat, health departments in California and Washington are presenting plans to vaccinate farm workers with flu shots. This means that this initiative seeks to safeguard workers from getting infected with the bird flu as well as the flu that is with most tendencies to get around during certain seasons

Link to Commercial Egg Farm Outbreak 

Out of the four patients who were confirmed to have bird flu, three of them developed symptom after working at a commercial egg farm which was infected with the disease. They developed mild flu-like symptoms which were aggravated by antiviral medications. The egg farm has had to cully about 800000 birds since the outbreak that was confirmed in Washington’s Fest Dix region; disinfection is also being done. 

Widespread Impact on Poultry and Dairy Farms 

Since the start of the outbreak in the first quarter of 2022, ADAA estimates that about 100 million birds such as chickens and turkeys have been infected in the country. At the end of december 2024, 27 human cases were confirmed for the country with most of them attributed to exposure to infected poultry or dairy cattle, as reported by Reuters. 

Monitoring and investigation on a continuous basis 

Washington State has forwarded the samples to CDC to ascertain and confirm the findings. Consequently, the CDC has not issued an immediate response as of Monday, but health officials remain vigilant. 

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Five More Patients Tested for Bird Flu in California 

Five More Patients Tested for Bird Flu in California. Credit | Getty Images

United States – Five more patients who have been believed to have bird flu are undergoing tests following continued incidences of the flu in California’s dairy sector, as health officials revealed on Monday. 

The five new potential positive patients are in the state’s Central Valley and all five are waiting on test results, as reported by the California Department of Health, as reported by HealthDay. 

Six Total Cases Reported in California 

As of Monday, there are a total of six conventional cases in the state, the department shared in its news release. The people became infected with the cattle at nine farms and are exhibiting only mild symptoms such as sore and red eyes or watery discharge (conjunctivitis). No one has been hospitalized. 

The health department added that the specimens are to be flown to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing early this week. 

Five More Patients Tested for Bird Flu in California. Credit | AP
Five More Patients Tested for Bird Flu in California. Credit | AP

Risk to the general public is low 

The representatives of the Californian authorities stated that the overall threat to the population is still insignificant. However, they noticed that ‘people who come into contact with affected birds are at a higher likelihood of contracting avian flu.’ 

Interestingly, these six cases are unrelated, meaning that there is active circulation in dairy herds, and the infected animals present a threat to workers in proximate areas. 

One of the newly identified people who tested positive attended a farm where another of the infected individuals worked. Still, the two did not interact closely, having been employed in different sections of the farm, according to the CDC

There have been twenty positive bird flu cases this year. 

Heads of state have confirmed cases of 20 bird flu victims in the United States this year. The majority of them treated infected dairy or poultry animals. However, one person infected in Missouri has no understandable source of infection, as stated by local and federal authorities. 

Antigen tests are still outstanding for people who were close to the individual in Missouri, who has been admitted to the hospital with the virus. The contacts are several health workers some of whom attended to the individual with bird flu. Some of those workers developed mild respiratory symptoms, and state and federal officials pointed out that there was no indication of human-to-human transmission; this would be a change in the transmission mode. 

Bird Flu Affects 299 Herds in 14 States 

The CDC also mentioned that there are 100 herds with confirmed bird flu cases among cattle in central California. This element has shifted the proportion of herds across the country affected by the virus within infected cows on California farms. A total of 299 different herds located in 14 different states of the USA have reported positive for bird flu. 

As COVID surges, workers told to wear N95 respirators, face shields 

According to health officials, livestock workers should use PPE of N95 respirators, goggles/ face shields, and gloves, as reported by HealthDay. 

The CDC is also increasing measures to vaccinate people who are working with livestock against bird flu for seasonal influenza vaccines. 

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