Hep C Could Be Eradicated But Not Without Reining In The Opioid Epidemic, Experts Say
“We have two public health problems that are related — it’s called a syndemic — and we can’t address one without addressing the other,” says James Galbraith, an emergency room physician.
Stateline:
With Opioid Crisis, A Surge In Hepatitis C
In an unrelenting opioid epidemic, hepatitis C is infecting tens of thousands of mostly young, white injection drug users, with the highest prevalence in the same Appalachian, Midwestern and New England states that are seeing the steepest overdose death rates. (Vestal, 8/28)
Meanwhile —
Boston Globe:
State Halts Admissions At Danvers Drug Recovery Treatment Center
The state shut down admissions at Recovery Centers of America’s inpatient addiction treatment center in Danvers on Friday, citing “concerns regarding patient care and safety.” The Department of Public Health took the step after the death a week earlier of a patient who was being treated at the facility. (Allen and Armstrong, 8/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Record Seizure Of Fentanyl, Likely Headed To The U.S., Reported By Mexican Border Authorities
Mexican authorities seized their largest haul ever of fentanyl — some 140 pounds of powder and nearly 30,000 pills — that officials say was headed to Tijuana and most likely across the border to the United States. “All I can say is that this not a surprise, Tijuana is the main corridor for Mexican drug traffickers to smuggle fentanyl into the United States,” said Mark Conover, deputy U.S. attorney in San Diego and head of an inter-agency fentanyl working group. “All the indicators are that this load of fentanyl was destined for the city streets of the United States.” (Dibble, 8/26)
