Public health is sounding the alarm after a surge in suspected opioid drug poisonings in Northumberland County.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit issued an alert due to a “notable increase in suspected opioid drug poisonings” in Northumberland on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Meanwhile, area officials such as the Cobourg Police Service confirmed that police responded to four suspected drug overdoses through the night.
The health unit’s drug poisoning opioid overdose alert early warning and surveillance system is reportedly designed to automatically flag increases in drug poisoning overdoses, triggering enhanced outreach efforts and distribution of naloxone kits and harm reduction supplies from first-responders and community partners.
Public health is echoing the call for people to have multiple naloxone kits easily accessible – this emergency medicine can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose until an individual can get to hospital, stressed officials.
Officials are also reiterating that the unregulated supply may be contaminated with other substances.
However, public health said naloxone should still be used in all suspected overdoses due to the possibility of opioid contamination and/or poisoning.
Free naloxone kits are available at area health unit offices, pharmacies and additional locations, with a detailed listing accessible online.
More information on the signs of an overdose, the Good Samaritan Act, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, and area supports is also available online.
Public health is also echoing the importance of additional harm reduction measures in the wake of the spike in overdoses, including avoiding mixing drugs (this includes mixing street drugs with alcohol); testing a small amount of a drug before using; never using alone, and if so, calling NORS (1-888-688-6677), and to always call 911 in the event of an overdose.
According to the health unit’s opioid overdose dashboard, there were three suspected opioid-related deaths in January in the health unit’s region, and two suspected deaths in February.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
