ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Monroe County saw 333 opioid deaths in the year 2022, shows a new report from the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office.
That’s a 14% increase from the total in 2021, which was 293 deaths. The report shows that the county has seen an increase in opioid deaths for four years in a row. Those deaths include any attribute in whole or in part to heroin, morphine, fentanyl, or other designer opioids.
Fentanyl remains the most common factor in opioid in overdose deaths, being present in nearly 98% of deaths in 2022. The next most common factor is cocaine, present in about three quarters of opioid overdose deaths. The report says that, although cocaine isn’t an opioid, it can have deadly effects when mixed with opioids.
In addition, about 20% of opioid deaths involved the animal sedative Xylazine. News10NBC has reported on the dangers of Xylazine, which is often mixed with opioids and can cause deep wound infections that may require amputation. There were also 13 opioid deaths in 2022 attributed to only prescription opioids.
The Medical Examiner’s Office says heroin and morphine deaths continued their sharp decline from their peak in an earlier wave of the opioid crisis because they’ve been replaced with more-potent fentanyl in recent years.
The report says there has been a steady increase in the ages of overdose victims in the past five years. In 2022, the median age was 38. For comparison, the median age in 2018 was 38. Three quarters of fatal overdose victims were male.
You can see the complete report here:
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