The United States may finally be winning the war against deadly drug overdoses.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overdose deaths peaked at 111,450 in August 2023 and has declined to just under 95,000 in May.
This downward trend includes a 17% decline in New York state and an 18% decline in New Jersey, but it is not clear what is causing the decline.
The number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell by 12.7% in the 12 months ending in May, according to . Preliminary data published by CDC.
“This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths.” White House officials made the announcement in a statement.. “And the projected total number of drug overdose deaths over a 12-month period is reported to have decreased for the sixth consecutive month.”
In more good news, the projected monthly number of drug overdose deaths in May was 98,820, the first time it fell below 100,000 since May 2021, the report said.
But public health experts struggling to stop a recent surge in opioid deaths caused primarily by fentanyl are at a loss to explain why the tide has turned.
Overdose reduction strategies include: Increased availability of Narcanrescue drugs that can reverse opioid overdoses were in use long before the decline began.
Cities like Cleveland reported a 40% drop in monthly overdose deaths during the first three months of this year compared to last year, according to Dr. David Margolius, the city's public health director. told NBC News.
They too are looking for answers and hope this trend continues.
“We've been doing the same thing for over 10 years, and I'd like to say it's finally working,” Dr. Joanne Papp, an emergency physician at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, told NBC. “But, boy, I don't know. I wish I knew so I could bottle it.”
X factor? Reports show that while drug users suffered in isolation at the height of the pandemic, they are now more likely to use around others who can call 911 or administer Narcan to save lives. is said to be increasing.
Meanwhile, the latest data from the CDC shows drug overdose deaths decreased in 41 states in the 12 months ending in May, NBC News reported.
The Big Apple, the largest metropolitan area in the United States, has moved in.
According to health officials, 3,016 people died of drug overdose in the city in 2023. That's a 7.6% decrease from 2022, and the number of overdose deaths in Gotham decreased for the first time since 2018, according to the data.
Statewide, overdose deaths fell 16.6% to 3,051 in the 12 months ending in May, according to CDC data. In New Jersey, deaths plummeted by 18.3% to 2,453.
