FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 4, 2022

LAS VEGAS – The Southern Nevada Health District is alerting the public to the ongoing risk fentanyl poses to the community after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) reported six suspected drug-related overdoses had occurred in Clark County during a 36-hour period from September 25, 2022, to September 27, 2022. According to LVMPD, four out of the six drug overdoses have been preliminarily identified as fentanyl overdoses. Between January and July 2022, there were 110 fentanyl overdose deaths among Clark County residents. In 2021, there were a total of 225 fentanyl deaths; 191 deaths were reported in 2020.

“We want everyone to be aware that fentanyl is continuing to take a toll on community,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District. “In addition to raising awareness about the risks of synthetic opioids, residents should know that there are resources available to them that can help prevent a fentanyl or opioid overdose,” said Dr. Leguen.

The Health District and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend people who are at risk of opioid overdose as well as family members, friends or other individuals who can assist a person at risk should carry naloxone, also known as Narcan^®, an opioid-antagonist that can be administered to help reverse opioid overdoses. A newer Health District program provides fentanyl test strips, tools that can show if fentanyl is present in a pill or powder.

The Health District’s main public health center offers free naloxone and fentanyl test strips at its pharmacy at 280 S. Decatur Blvd. Other naloxone access points can be found at the Nevada State Overdose Reversal Medication Finder. Additional fentanyl test strip distribution locations can be found at Nevada State Fentanyl Test Strip Distribution Sites. Overdose prevention measures and training are also available to the community through local harm reduction organizations, including Health District partner organization Trac-B Exchange.

From January 2018 to July 2022, a provisional estimate of 1412 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in Clark County. Of the Clark County residents that died from opioid-related deaths, 653 (46 percent) died from fentanyl. Of these fentanyl deaths 65 percent were male; 51 percent White; 17 percent Black; 3 percent Asian; and 24 percent Hispanic/Latino. Younger adults are at the highest risk of fatal overdose involving fentanyl. The three age groups at the highest risk of fentanyl overdose deaths are 20-24, 30-34, and 25-29 years of age.

Fentanyl is a synthetic (man-made) opioid drug that is highly potent (80-100 times stronger than morphine) and often illicitly manufactured. A small amount of fentanyl can be deadly (as little as 2 mg which equals 2 grains of salt) can cause a fatal overdose. Deaths involving illicit fentanyl have been increasing nationally. Fentanyl can be mixed with illicit substances to look like heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine. People purchasing these pills or powders are often unaware that they contain fentanyl. More commonly, fentanyl is being pressed into counterfeit pills and sold on the street as Percocet, Xanax, or oxycodone, which is a contributing factor in the increase of fatal overdose.

Other drugs are often involved in fatal fentanyl overdoses, with the most common being prescription opioids (24 percent), benzodiazepines (24 percent), psychostimulants such as methamphetamine (28 percent), and heroin (6 percent). These proportions are not mutually exclusive as more than one drug can contribute to a death.

More information about fentanyl is available on CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.