Teen Deaths from Drug Overdose Inches Up
Thursday, August 17th, 2017 -- 8:09 AM
(AP) -After years of decline, teen deaths from drug overdoses have inched up, a new U.S. government report shows.The drop in teen deaths had been a rare bright spot in the opioid epidemic that has seen adult overdose deaths surge year after year ??" fueled by abuse of prescription painkillers, heroin and newer drugs like fentanyl. It’s not clear why teen overdose deaths increased in 2015 or whether the trend will continue, said lead researcher Sally Curtin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC released the report Wednesday focusing on adolescents aged 15 to 19.
The overdose death rate rose to 3.7 per 100,000 teens in 2015, from 3.1 the previous year. Most of the deaths were accidental and were mainly caused by heroin, researchers found. Clearly, drug overdoses have been a far smaller problem in teens than in adults. Tens of thousands of adults die from overdoses each year compared to about 700 to 800 teens. Another difference: Unlike adults, overdose deaths in teens have not been climbing every year. To their surprise, CDC researchers found that teen overdose deaths actually fell after 2008, and dropped as low as about 3 per 100,000 during 2012 through 2014.
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