Health unit issues alert after spike in drug-related ER visits 4th overdose alert this year

The local health unit has issued an alert followingaspike in opioid-related emergency department visits in Windsor last week.

Between April 5 and April 11,the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) recorded 10 opioid-related emergency department visits nine involved fentanyl and four were non-overdoses. WECHUsaid it also received five EMS notifications related to drug visits on Tuesday.

This is the fourth alert that the health unit has issued so far in 2021, while last year saw a total of three for the entire year.

The most recent alert this yearwas issued on March 16, following 27 overdose-related emergency department visits.

Of the 27 overdoses, seven included opioids and five were fentanyl.

After the alert last month, CBC News spoke with healthcare professionals in Windsor-Essex who said the pandemic has exacerbated the struggle for people with addictions.

Data from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit show that emergency department visits related to anopioid overdose have been steadily rising since 2018.

In January, there were 30 compared to 29 last year, and in February there were 33 compared to 16 the year prior.