The California Department of Public Health issued a health alert on April 8 about a spate of fentanyl-related overdoses throughout the state.
Over a ten-day period, health officials from Sacramento County reported 48 overdoses of illegally-obtained drugs and 10 deaths. While the actual cause is uncertain, the public health department believes that the cause is consumption of a drug that resembles Norco, but contains a compound called fentanyl.
“The concern here are drugs that have been obtained illegally and without a prescription – in this case, the drugs resemble Norco but are contaminated with fentanyl,” the department said in an email.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is similar to morphine but much stronger. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain. However, in excess and when combined with another opioid drug, like Norco, it can cause severe health effects.
Currently, there is no way for the public health department to track fentanyl-related overdoses. The health alert asks other health organizations throughout California to submit information they have on possible fentanyl overdoses in order to build a larger picture of the problem.