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Surge In Heroin Overdoses Claims 35 Lives In Five Days

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Steve Birr Vice Reporter
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Authorities are linking 35 deaths over five days in Philadelphia to heroin overdoses in a wave of fatalities city officials have “never seen” before.

The string of deaths is unprecedented within such a short span of time in Philadelphia, which is currently battling large amounts of heroin addiction. Police continue to investigate the string of overdoses to establish if there is a connection between the heroin involved. Twelve people died between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Dec. 1, followed by four on Dec. 2, seven on Saturday, nine on Sunday and four on Monday, reports Philly.com.

The investigation into the overdoses is ongoing, and police do not yet know what the heroin was mixed with, if anything. Investigators say heroin in Philadelphia can be extremely pure, and it is possible the overdoses were people who were not expecting such a potent batch. Police say heroin in the area can also sometimes contain rat poison or more potent ingredients like fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

Health experts also note that the presence of fentanyl or other incredibly powerful ingredients can actual entice addicts with a heavy tolerance to use the product.

“When people are addicted and they are seeking that high and they hear about a drug that is leading to overdoses…they try to acquire that drug for the ultimate high,” Jeanine Buchanich, from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, told Philly.com. “So warning the public is a double-edged sword.”

Fatal overdoes from fentanyl spiked 636 percent in Philadelphia over the past year. A synthetic painkiller called W-18 is also being mixed into heroin in Philadelphia and is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine.

Earlier in their investigation, police thought the deaths may be linked to a single “bad batch” being sold in the city, but connections remain unclear. A police spokesman said the baggies found at the scenes appeared to come from different dealers.

Seven men and two women died after taking the drug Sunday, ranging in ages from 24 to 42. Many of the overdose incidents occurred in the Kensington and North Philadelphia neighborhoods — areas plagued by the national opioid epidemic.

The overdoses in Kensington made it one of the deadliest days in the community’s history.

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