New numbers released from the opioid surveillance initiative in Sudbury show that the number of incidents involving individuals using illicit drugs is declining slightly. At the same time, those numbers are still higher than the provincial norms.
The opioid surveillance numbers are gathered by the Community Drug Strategy (CDS) and reported on the Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) webpage. In the fine print, PHSD said the numbers are preliminary.
In terms of the number of opioid-related deaths in the Sudbury-Manitoulin districts this year, from January through to the end of July, there were 44 people who died from an opioid-related overdose, said the surveillance page.
This compares with 62 local deaths reported for the same period last year, January to July of 2022.
The worst months were January and April, when nine and 10 deaths occurred, respectively.
While the number so far this year is lower, the surveillance page said "this represents a local annualized mortality rate of 36.2 deaths per 100,000 population per year, significantly higher than the rate in Ontario overall, 17.4 deaths per 100,000 population per year."
For the entirety of 2022, the CDS reported "112 residents of the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts died from an opioid-related overdose."
The surveillance page also reported the number of times Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services have responded to opioid-related emergency calls so far this year, from January through to the end of November.
Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services responded to 604 suspected opioid-related incidents so far this year, CDS reported.
This compares with 661 suspected opioid-related incidents reported for the same period last year, January to November 2022.
Figures were also gathered for the numbers of emergency department visits for confirmed opioid overdoses, said the CDS report.
"From January 2023 to November 2023, there were 343 visits to emergency departments in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts for confirmed opioid overdoses," said the newest report. This compares with 419 visits to emergency rooms for the same period last year, January to November 2022.”
While this is a decline locally, the Sudbury-Manitoulin ER visits are still high compared to the provincial numbers.
"This represents a local annualized rate of 179.4 visits per 100,000 population per year, significantly higher than the rate in Ontario overall, 80.8 visits per 100,000 population per year," said the CDS report.
The worst month for ER visits for opioid overdoses was September when 52 visits were recorded, said the CDS report.
