CDC report: Increasing number of opioid deaths

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that says the number of opioid-related deaths is increasing exponentially nationwide.

According to the CDC’s report, the number of opioid and fentanyl-related deaths has increased 141 percent from the beginning of the year to March alone.

Doctors say most of these cases stem from ignorance on the part of young adults, and that most of these fatal cases are sourced from illegally sourced fentanyl.

Experts say prescribed pain killers such as oxycodone are safe to take if patients follow the recommended dosage from their doctors, but overdosing on it can have lethal effects as well.

In Yuma, there have been four cases over opioid overdoses in March.

A 27-year-old man died from an overdose as well as an 18-year-old senior in high school.

According to Operation Prevention’s Parent Toolkit, there are several warning signs that parents can lookout that they would notice in their children.

These include:

Negative changes in grades Are your child’s grades suddenly dropping after a long record of academic success?

Skipping classes or school Do you no longer know what your child is doing during the school day?

Dropping longtime friends Have your child’s friends suddenly changed?

Loss of interest in usual activities Does your child no longer seem interested in his or her “favorite” activities?

Changes in appearance. Has your child developed an uncharacteristic lack of concern for grooming or hygiene?

Changes in general behavior, including sleeping and eating habits, Has a normally energetic child become listless, or a laid-back child become unusually excitable?