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   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) and the Austin   
   Police Department (APD) said they received a total of 51 calls for   
   suspected overdoses as of Tuesday afternoon, with four suspected deaths   
   related to the surge, according to local ABC News affiliate KVUE.   
      
   APD said overdose patients range in age from 20s to 50s and across   
   racial/ethnic groups, KVUE reported. Those who died from overdoses have   
   not been identified but their ages range from mid-30s to mid-50s.   
      
   MORE: Oregon officials declare state of emergency to address fentanyl   
   crisis in Portland   
      
   The surge of calls began around 9:00 a.m. CT Monday morning and were   
   concentrated in the downtown area, Angela Carr, EMS division chief at   
   ATCEMS, said during a Monday evening press conference. Calls later began   
   coming in from around the city, including residences, businesses and in   
   areas accessible to the general public.   
      
   Carr said a team was immediately deployed to the area, and Narcan rescue   
   kits were distributed. Narcan is given as a nasal spray and the active   
   ingredient in the medication -- naloxone -- can quickly restore breathing   
   if someone is experiencing an opioid overdose.   
      
   ATCEMS said it usually receives two or three overdose calls per day, but   
   the number of calls on Monday equated to a 1,000% increase in call volume,   
   according to Dr. Heidi Abraham, deputy medical director for ATCEMS.   
      
   "The trend that we're seeing in this group of overdoses is that it is   
   unusually deadly," she said during the press conference. "We've not   
   experienced overdoses of this volume in several years."   
      
   Abraham said the overdose patients reported using several different types   
   of drugs but did not elaborate on the specific drugs.   
      
   Christa Steadman, ATCEMS public information officer, said officials   
   suspect the "outbreak" is due to "a new batch in town" likely from the   
   same source or same couple of sources due to the similarities of symptoms   
   among patients.   
      
   Officials said they will continue to provide updates as they become   
   available.   
      
   It comes as a record number of Americans have died from drug overdoses. In   
   2022, there were nearly 108,000 drug overdose deaths, according to   
   provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,   
   about 1% higher than the nearly 107,000 overdose deaths recorded in 2021.   
      
   MORE: Overdose reversal drug Narcan will be available to buy over-the-   
   counter starting in September   
      
   In Texas, drug poisoning-related deaths for 2022 sit at 15.4 per 100,000,   
   which is the highest rate since at least 2011, according to provisional   
   data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS).   
      
   Travis County had the fifth-highest number of provisional drug overdose   
   deaths with 308 in 2022, mostly among white residents.   
      
   States have previously said fentanyl, the synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times   
   stronger than morphine, may be driving an increase in overdoses and   
   overdose deaths.   
      
   TDSHS says preliminary data shows Travis County had 188 fentanyl   
   poisoning-related deaths, the second-highest number behind Harris County,   
   where Houston is located.   
      
   https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-dead-more-50-suspected-204555457.html   
      
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