Fentanyl Facts

In the Fairfax Health District in 2024:

• [Hospital icon on an arrow pointing downward with text "29%"] Non-fatal opioid overdose emergency room visits decreased from a record high of 406 in 2023 to 290 in 2024.
• [95 stick figures shaded dark blue, 5 stick figures shaded teal] 95% of fatal opioid overdoses have involved fentanyl since 2020.*

Youth Under 18

• [Hospital icon on an arrow pointing downward with text "71%"] Non-fatal opioid overdose emergency room visits decreased from a record high of 58 in 2023 to 17 in 2024.
• [12 stick figures shaded dark blue] There were 12 fatal opioid overdoses, all involving fentanyl, since 2020.*

Illegal fentanyl is dangerous.

• Fentanyl is a strong, lab-made pain reliever.
• There are two types of fentanyl: medical grade and illegally made fentanyl.
• [Circle with a medical cross icon in it] Medical fentanyl is prescribed by a doctor and can be given safely by health professionals.
• [Triangle with a skull and cross bone icon in it] Illegally made fentanyl is dangerous because it is uncontrolled. The amount of fentanyl in each pill is different and could be fatal. 
• Illegal fentanyl is used to make counterfeit (fake) prescription pills and added to some drugs. 
• It's not possible to tell if a pill contains fentanyl by sight, smell, or taste.
• People who overdose often don't know they are taking fentanyl.

You can prevent overdoses.

• [Checkmark icon] Only take pills you get from your pharmacist.
• [Icon representing various drugs in a circle with a line through it] Assume any prescription pill you see online is fake, including Oxy, Percocet, Adderall, and Xanax.
• [Two speech bubbles icon] Get tips on how to talk to your teen about fentanyl. fcps.edu/becomeunskippable
• [Lock icon] Safely store medication in your home. fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/prevention/lock-and-talk
• [Computer screen with a trash can icon] Dispose of unused or expired medications. fairfaxcounty.gov/health/drug-disposal
• [Naloxone icon] Take a training and receive free Naloxone (Narcan), a nasal spray that reverses fentanyl overdoses and saves lives. fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/heroin-opioid/revive

Call or text 9-1-1 if a situation is immediately life-threatening.

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• Learn more and find support resources: fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/opioids
• See more Fairfax Health District data: fairfaxcounty.gov/health/opioid-overdoses-data
• fairfaxcounty.gov/health
• [Facebook logo] fairfaxcountyhealth
• [X and Instagram logos] fairfaxhealth

Sources

• cdc.gov/stop-overdose/caring/fentanyl-facts
• fentanylawarenessday.org
• Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (ESSENCE)
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health
• *Preliminary data from OCME through September 2024, subject to change.

[Fairfax County Health Department logo] Fairfax County Health Department

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