(Reuters) -Drug overdose deaths in the United States fell nearly 27% in 2024, federal estimates showed on Wednesday, marking the steepest decline ever and reaching the lowest levels since 2019.
Nearly 80,391 people died from drug overdose in the U.S. in the 12-month period ending December 2024, compared with 110,037 deaths a year earlier, according to estimates released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But drug overdose still remains the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 44, according to the CDC.
Experts have pointed out that the wide availability of a medication called naloxone, a potent overdose antidote, has significantly contributed to the drop.
Deaths involving opioids fell to an estimated 54,743 in 2024 from 83,140 a year earlier, the CDC estimates showed.
“Since late 2023, overdose deaths have steadily declined each month — a strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact,” the agency said in a statement.
But those involved in the country’s anti-narcotics fight have warned that recent funding cuts by the White House threaten to reverse a steep decline in American overdose deaths and jeopardize other gains in the battle against synthetic opioids.
The number of deaths caused by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, dropped to 48,422 in 2024, compared with about 76,282 a year earlier, the CDC report showed.
Fentanyl is still at the heart of the U.S. opioid crisis, and the single largest contributor to overdose deaths in the country.
While most states across the nation showed declines in overdose deaths, South Dakota and Nevada reported a slight increase compared to 2023, the report said.
Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio were among the states that showed declines of at least 35%, the agency said.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
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