WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The latest data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell by 10 percent year-over-year in April, representing a significant drop in overdose deaths on record.
Between April 2023 and April 2024, the largest decline in drug overdose deaths was reported in Nevada with a drop of 29.8 percent, whereas the highest increase was recorded in Alaska with a surge in cases of drug overdose fatalities by 41.8 percent.
'Far too many Americans have felt the pain of losing a loved one to overdose, and this new data is both a beacon of hope and an urgent call to action for us all to continue working together to beat this epidemic,' Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy said in a statement.
The decline in overdose deaths might be due to easy access to medication to treat drug use disorder like buprenorphine and methadone, expansion of drug checking programs, and increased awareness about the disorder.
Earlier, Biden-Harris administration had announced grants worth $1.5 billion for states and tribes to fund programs to deal with the ongoing drug epidemic.
'In the past four years, these programs have connected hundreds of thousands of people to substance use disorder treatment, supported millions of people in recovery, and enhanced naloxone saturation efforts across the country,' U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stated at that time.
'We're incredibly proud of these efforts and are following through on our commitment to expand prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery infrastructure across the nation.'
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