STATEN ISLAND — There were eight drug overdoses in as many days over the holidays in the borough, leaving five people dead, the borough's district attorney said.
The overdoses happened between Dec. 21 and 29, with three people being saved by first responders issuing the drug naloxone, DA Michael McMahon said.
It took this year's death toll from suspected overdoses on Staten Island to 90 as of Friday, up from 69 last year.
"Sadly, over the holidays there was another spike in drug overdoses on Staten Island," McMahon said in a statement.
"These deaths are nothing short of tragic and this office along with the NYPD and our partners in the health community will continue in our mission to combat this deadly epidemic head on in the New Year."
Naloxone, which essentially reverses the effects of an OD, was used about 70 times this year, McMahon said.
The numbers only include cases reported to the DA and McMahon. As much as 30 percent more may go unreported, he said.
The borough has been in the midst of a prescription drug and heroin epidemic for the past several years, but a new synthetic drug 50 times more potent than heroin has contributed to this year's rising numbers, McMahon said.
"Dealers are mixing heroin with dangerous additives like fentanyl — a substance so toxic that one touch can be fatal," said McMahon in a statement.
"Prevention is key to saving lives and we will continue to work hard to track and investigate these overdoses and lend support to grieving families."
From 2013 to 2014, ODs linked to fentanyl increased by 80 percent nationwide, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Lawmakers have started to push for a new federal law that would tighten control of that drug and toughen penalties for dealers who use it.
Locally, the city started several programs to curb the opioid epidemic in the borough including outfitting emergency workers with naloxone and making it available for sale without a prescription.
Since he entered office this year, McMahon has started several initiatives including investigating every suspected drug death like a crime scene to trace the source and opening a court dedicated to hearing felony narcotic cases to speed up the process.
