The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office of Illinois collected data that showed 90% of opioid overdoses in the U.S. last year were caused by fentanyl. According to the Centers for Disease Control, fentanyl has been a problem for the U.S. for many years.
Chicago, located in Cook County, reported 2,001 opioid overdoses deaths in 2022. This is more than three-times the number of those recorded in the seven previous years.
Health officials expect that the number of opioid-related deaths in Cook County will match the record set in 2022.
SENATE RESEARCH SOUNDS ALARM OVER SURGE OF FENTANYL DEADS AMONG OLDER AMERICANS – ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC’
On August 19, 2020, a bag of Oxycodone-like synthetic opioid fentanyl is displayed during a press briefing led by U.S. attorney McGregor W. Scott. (Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service by Getty Images).
County officials have confirmed 1,540 opioid-related deaths for this year, despite hundreds of toxicology testing still pending in 2023.
90% of the 1,540 opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl.
Over 400 toxicology tests are expected to show up as overdoses, according to the medical examiner’s office.
SAN FRANCISCO RECORDS HIGHEST NUMBER EVER OF OVERDOSES IN CITY HISTORY DUE TO FENTANYL
Rainbow fentanyl is a powder or pills that comes in a wide range of colors, sizes and shapes. (DEA )
The medical examiner’s office reported that 80% of all opioid toxicology cases to date are male.
The report also stated that 56% of deaths were African Americans. Whites made up 27%, and Latinos just under 15%.
About 27% of opioid-related deaths occurred in the age group between 50 and 59.
DHS WARNS AMERICAN-PRODUCED DRUGS SUCH AS FENTANYL ARE LIKELY to KILL MORE Americans than any other threat
Chicago Skyline at Sunset
Last year, the youngest opioid overdose was an 8-month old boy in Chicago. The oldest was a woman aged 93 from Arlington Heights.
A report by the Senate in December sounded an alarm over the rise of deaths among Americans from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
The report “The Silent Epidemic – Fentanyl and Elderly Americans” examines the rise in deaths from overdose among older Americans.
The report states that overdose deaths for Americans 65 years and older have quadrupled in the past two years. There is also increasing evidence of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl contributing to the increase.
Click Here to Download the FOX News App
Fentanyl has been a problem in the U.S. since years. Tens of thousands die each year. According to the CDC, of the 107,000 deaths that occurred in 2021, 75% were opioid-related.
The Biden administration has praised efforts to crackdown on fentanyl crises. This includes investments in technology and prevention, as well as recovery and prevention.
In December 2023, at least 302,000 illegal border crosses were recorded. This is a record monthly total. It’s one of the many months during Biden’s tenure that broke records.
According to the DEA Fentanyl is primarily made from chemicals manufactured in China that enter the US through the border with Mexico, before being transported across the country.
In September 2023 Border Patrol will announce that it has seized enough fentanyl during the fiscal year for all of America to die.
Adam Shaw, Fox News Digital, contributed to the report.