Dr. Tina Stefanski
Fentanyl poses severe threat
The nation is on the downside of the sixth surge of the COVID Omicron variant, monkeypox is on the emerging and fentanyl is a rising deadly threat.
That sums up the message from Dr. Tina Stefanski, regional medical director for the Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) Office of Public Health in Acadiana (Region 4).
Stefanski and Stacy Conrad, opioid prevention outreach coordinator for the office of Public Health Region 4, spoke at Wednesday’s Eunice Rotary Club meeting.
Their focus was on fentanyl, a synthetic drug causing an increasing number of deaths.
But Stefanski also provided an update on the infections.
The hope is there will be an effective booster vaccine this fall for the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The vaccine is very protective against severe illness, she said.
As for monkeypox, the first reported case in the U.S. was in May, she said. Since then, there has been close to 16,000 cases in the U.S. and more than 44,000 cases in the world.
In Louisiana, there have been 156 cases of monkeypox and nine cases in Acadiana, she said.
For most infected people, monkeypox is mild and the rash lasts two to four weeks, she said.
Monkeypox transmission is primarily through prolonged intimate contact with an infected person, she said.
Casual contact with an infected person is not likely to cause transmission, she said.
Conrad described a growing fentanyl crisis. In Region 4 comprised of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermillion parishes, there were 45 overdose deaths from fentanyl in 2019, 58 in 2020, 69 in 2021 and at least 60 so far this year, she aid.
“It is definitely a problem and these are not overdoses that typically we think people want to end their lives,” she said.
Fentanyl risk is greatest in ages 17 to about 40, she said.
Fentanyl is being found everywhere, she said. The drug is used in counterfeit drugs and, since it is a powder, is found on other drugs such as marijuana.
Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
An amount of fentanyl the size of three or four grains of salt blown across the Rotary group would be fatal within about 15 minutes, she said.
An overdose can be reversed with Narcan — naloxone — that can be obtained at pharmacies.
Dr. John Hamlin, of LSUE, said Narcan is available on the LSUE campus.
Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, said school resource officers are equipped with Narcan.
Police also are often equipped with Narcan.
Even with the use of Narcan, the overdosed person should receive medical care.
Signs someone may be overdosing include:
— Loss of consciousness;
— Lack of response to stimuli;
— Vomiting, nausea and/or diarrhea;
— Choking or gurgling noises;
— Irregular breathing;
— Blue lips or fingernails;
— Confusion or slurred speech; and
— Slowed heart rate.
An information sheet states an overdose person should not be left alone, 911 should be called or text OPIOID to 989-211. Narcan should be administered.
