Provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the year to September 2024 is predicting a ‘nearly 24 per cent decline’ in drug overdose deaths, compared to the previous 12 months.
According to the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System, there were around 87,000 overdose deaths between October 2023 and September 2024, down from 114,000 the previous year. The figure is the lowest overdose death total in any 12-month period since the start of the decade, says CDC, and shows a ‘continued steep decline’ in mortalities.
‘Multiple factors’ have contributed to the fall, says CDC, including ‘widespread, data-driven distribution of naloxone’, better access to evidence-based treatment, and shifts in the illegal drug supply. The number of non-fatal overdoses – as measured by emergency department admissions – has also fallen, CDC points out.
The US has long struggled with a drug deaths crisis, with almost a million fatalities in the first two decades of this century and opioid overdose first declared a public health emergency almost a decade ago. A study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry also found that almost 322,000 children lost a parent to drug overdose in the decade to 2021.
While the sharp drop in deaths is ‘encouraging’, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, CDC points out, highlighting the ‘importance of sustained efforts to ensure this progress continues’. Although 45 states recorded a fall in overdose deaths, five still saw increases – Alaska, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota and Utah.
‘It is unprecedented to see predicted overdose deaths drop by more than 27,000 over a single year,’ said director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Allison Arwady. ‘That’s more than 70 lives saved every day. CDC’s public health investments, our improved data and laboratory systems for overdose response, and our partnerships with public safety colleagues in every state mean that we are more rapidly identifying emerging drug threats and supporting public health prevention and response activities in communities across America.’
Provisional drug overdose death counts available here