Opioid overdoses are rising—is there a solution?
Opioid-involved deaths in the U.S. have steadily increased since 1999, leading to a public health emergency declaration in 2017. But preventive work is increasing, too.
We’ve been in the third wave of opioid overdoses since 2013 when synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, became an increasingly common cause of death. And the numbers keep going up: In 2021, 80,411 people died of natural opioids, and 70,601 people died from synthetic opioids—a 16% increase and 23% increase over the year before, respectively.
How is progress being made to reduce the number of opioid abuse cases, overdoses, and deaths? Learn how we’re working with CDC to support their Division of Overdose Prevention.
