Overdose Deaths from Fentanyl and Its Analogs Still on the Rise

​Overdose deaths involving fentanyl and its analogues continue to increase, according to a July 11, 2018, alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For example, reported overdose deaths involving carfentanil increased from 1,261 deaths in 2016 to 2,268 deaths during the first six months of 2017. Carfentanil is 100 times as potent as fentanyl, CDC said. To stem this tide, CDC recommended that several actions be taken. The first is to improve detection of fentanyl outbreaks. This includes increasing public health messaging about the risks of fentanyl and screening for fentanyl in suspected overdose cases.