Both of the health units in the Kawarthas region have issued opioid alerts on Monday (August 15). Peterborough Public Health has issued a drug poisoning alert and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit has issued an opioid overdose alert.
On Friday and Saturday, Peterborough Public Health detected a higher-than-usual number of opioid-related paramedic calls for service, with a total of nine drug poisonings treated by paramedics and the emergency department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
“This is presumed to be the result of a product that may contain benzodiazepines,” Peterborough Public Health states in a media release. “A benzo-related overdose may last for hours and make it hard to wake up an individual. This high number of paramedic calls for service has prompted Peterborough Public Health to issue a public warning in the hopes of preventing further harms to the community.”
Peterborough Public Health is reminding the public that street drugs may be cut or mixed with toxic substances, and that using even a small amount of drug can be fatal.
The HKPR District Health Unit has issued an opioid overdose alert for the City of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland County due to a “disturbing” rise in the number of overdoses being recorded.
“With the significant spike in overdoses in recent days, this alert is meant to inform the community to take precautions,” says Kate Hall, a health promoter with the health unit, in a media release. “Contributing factors for these local overdoses may include people using alone or a potentially contaminated or poisoned drug supply that is leading to more severe overdose reactions.”
Both health units are encouraging people who use drugs to do the following:
- Don’t use drugs alone. In Peterborough, drug users can visit the Consumption Treatment Services site at 220 Simcoe Street, which is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
- If you do use drugs alone, ask someone to check on you or call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-6677.
- If using with a friend, do not use at the exact same time.
- Test your drug by using a small amount first.
- Avoid mixing drugs.
- Carry a naloxone kit. Keep it visible and close by. You can get a naloxone kit at most pharmacies and needle exchange sites.
Signs of an opioid overdose include cold and clammy skin, blue or purple fingernails or lips, a limp body, an inability to wake the person up, deep snoring or gurgling sounds, slow or erratic or stopped breathing, and very small pupils.
If you witness an overdose, call 9-1-1 and administer naloxone if available. Continue to check for breathing and stay with the person until help arrives.
Under Canada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, anyone who seeks medical help for themselves or for someone else who has overdosed will not be charged for possessing or using drugs for personal use.
Residents of Peterborough and Peterborough County can anonymously report drug poisonings and other bad drug reactions using the Peterborough Public Health’s drug reporting tool. Residents of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton can anonymously report drug-related incidents using a similar online submission form.
