CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — State Bureau for Public Health officials have released a statement warning law enforcement, health care providers, hospitals and other facilities that the drug carfentanil has been linked to several overdose deaths in West Virginia.
Dr. Mark Povroznik, chief quality officer and chairman of infection control at United Hospital Center, said the effects of carfentanil are similar to the effects of fentanyl, the drug responsible for a large number of overdose deaths in Harrison County.
“The effects it can have on the body are things like respiratory depression, or the inability to breathe for yourself, and vascular collapse,” Povroznik said. “The difference is, we’re dealing with a much more potent drug than fentanyl. To put it in perspective, fentanyl is thought to be about 50 times more potent than heroin, and carfentanil is believed to be about 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner of the state Bureau of Public Health and state health officer, said officials are concerned about the number of overdose deaths related to carfentanil and hope to prevent more.
“One of the challenges with a substance like carfentanil is that because it’s so potent, it’s also fast-acting,” Gupta said. “So there isn’t as much time to respond as there is with an overdose of a different nature.”
Gupta said the Bureau of Public Health is taking a “all-hands-on-deck” approach to responding to these cases in hopes of avoiding a widespread series of overdose deaths.
“We’re not only working with our partners in law enforcement, public safety and the DEA, but also with health care providers and the poison control center,” he said. “We want to reduce the number of cases by catching the situation early.”
“In each case, we have to test for the substance and then run a confirmation test to confirm it,” he said. “This is a process that can take days, if not weeks. We have a handful of confirmed cases now, but at any one time there are a large number of cases that are still under investigation.”
Gupta also warned of the dangers that carfentanil can present to both first responders and non-users who are subjected to accidental exposure.
“You don’t necessarily have to be injecting a drug like this, because it’s so potent,” Gupta said. “A first responder or a parent who my find their child’s drugs is at risk, too. Just by simply cleaning the drug off the floor, if a person isn’t wearing gloves or a mask, it’s possible for them to overdose just from being exposed.”
Gupta noted that because of the potency of carfentanil, drugs like naloxone meant to counteract typical overdoses can be ineffective in typical doses. Also, because there is no available in-field test to identify carfentanil, people who are reacting to the drug are at extremely high risk.
Staff writer Austin Weiford can be reached at 304-626-1447 or [email protected].
