At least 1,460 Canadians have died from opioid-related overdoses in the first half of 2017 — a number that’s expected to rise, as not all provinces have reported final data for the period, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday. Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, said Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba are yet to report all of their opioid-related overdose deaths for the first half of the year. This is a national public health crisis,” Canada’s top doctor said in an interview from Ottawa. In 2016, illicit fentanyl was implicated in 53 per cent of all opioid overdose deaths. Read more:The federal health minister said opioid-related deaths are a “public health crisis” nationwide.

Source: thestar December 18, 2017 20:48 UTC