Five people in ACT die from suspected overdoses in a fortnight
Health and emergency services have issued a warning about the presence of potentially lethal drugs circulating in the territory.
Five individuals in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have died within two weeks from suspected drug overdoses, prompting health authorities to issue a warning. Another two individuals survived overdoses in the previous week. Police suspect opioids were involved in all cases, noting their high addiction risk. ACT health officials remind drug users to carry naloxone, a medication that can rapidly reverse an overdose.
Five deaths occurred in the past fortnight, while 25 people in Canberra have died from suspected drug overdoses in the past year. Health officials warn that some drug overdoses may result from the purchase of imitation prescription drugs online, which can be tainted or not as advertised. Directions Health Services, the sole publicly available drug-testing clinic in the country, has found heroin in cocaine and a dangerous new synthetic opioid called nitazenes, which is up to a thousand times stronger than morphine.
The ACT Ambulance service reports no increased workload due to the recent cluster of deaths, urging concerned individuals to intervene early and call for help, as naloxone is available for free at select locations. The ACT Coroner will investigate the cause of the recent deaths.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
