Last year marked the fifth in row in which fentanyl overdoses continued to climb in King County.<\/p>\n
Three fatal overdoses on the same day earlier this month<\/a> prompted county officials to issue statements. The three deaths, which happened in South King County, add to the grim toll health officials have documented in recent years. Already this year there have been at least 24 overdose deaths where opioids played a role.<\/p>\n Last year was saw the highest number of overdose deaths since 2008, at 432. The number has been steadily climbing since 2011 as the region — and country — struggle with ways to address the opioid epidemic. The number of overdoses where the deceased had both stimulants like methamphetamine as well as opioids in their system increased to 169 in 2019, up from 130 in 2018. It’s a trend that was reported<\/a> last year, and has increased since.<\/p>\n Brad Finegood, with Seattle and King County Public Health, said while heroin overdoses tend to cluster in areas of downtown Seattle, fentanyl overdoses are spread throughout the county. Fentanyl is an opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than heroin, and is often used to cut other drugs. It’s also commonly pressed into pills that are identical less-potent opioids.<\/p>\n “There’s no way to know or tell,” he said.<\/p>\n On average, one person died every three days in King County from a fentanyl overdose during the last quarter of 2019. It’s a more than three-fold quarterly increase since the first quarter of 2017. People ages 30 to 39 were the most affected.<\/p>\n Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, principal research assistant at the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, said this is likely representative of people who got hooked on opioids within the last 10 years. As people age, it’s harder for the body to rebound from an overdose.<\/p>\n