Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun 20;63(24):531.

Notes from the field: increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths - Rhode Island, November 2013-March 2014

Melissa C Mercado-Crespo, Steven A Sumner, M Bridget Spelke, David E Sugerman, Christina Stanley; EIS officer, CDC

Notes from the field: increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths - Rhode Island, November 2013-March 2014

Melissa C Mercado-Crespo et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

During November 2013-March 2014, twice as many all-intent drug overdose deaths were reported in Rhode Island as were reported during the same period in previous years. Most deaths were among injection-drug users, and a large percentage involved fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Clusters of fentanyl-related deaths have been reported recently in several states. From April 2005 to March 2007, time-limited active surveillance from CDC and the Drug Enforcement Administration identified 1,013 deaths caused by illicit fentanyl use in New Jersey; Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acetyl fentanyl, an illegally produced fentanyl analog, caused a cluster of overdose deaths in northern Rhode Island in 2013.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Drug Enforcement Administration, US Department of Justice. Control of a chemical precursor used in the illicit manufacture of fentanyl as a List I chemical. Final rule. Fed Regist. 2008;73:43355–7. - PubMed
    1. CDC. Nonpharmaceutical fentanyl-related deaths—multiple states, April 2005–March 2007. MMWR. 2008;57:793–6. - PubMed
    1. CDC. Acetyl fentanyl overdose fatalities—Rhode Island, March–May 2013. MMWR. 2013;62:703–4. - PMC - PubMed