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New map shows scope of Indiana opioid epidemic

Posted at 5:48 PM, May 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-15 17:54:57-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana State Department of Health released new numbers Monday showing the scope of the growing opioid epidemic in Indiana.

The agency says it saw a 60-percent increase in reports of non-fatal emergency room visits due to opioid overdoses from 2011-2015. At the same time, opioid-related deaths increased by an average of 3.5 percent each year.

The number of acute hepatitis C cases, which are related to injection drug use, also increased by 67 percent.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has also put out a warning about the increasing prevalence of potent opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil in the state – in particular warning residents about "Gray Death," a drug cocktail containing heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil that has already been linked to at least one fatal overdose so far in Indiana.

MORE | Increasingly potent, extremely toxic opioids becoming more common in Indiana | Woman overdoses on new heroin-like drug 'Gray Death' | Police agencies on lookout for new drug cocktail 'Gray Death'

Use the map below to explore ISDH data about opioid overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal, in all 92 Indiana counties:

 

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