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Two Dead in Springfield After Dramatic Spike in Overdoses Linked to Fentanyl

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Two people have died in Springfield among a dramatic spike in opioid drug overdoses over the past two days, according to city officials. On Thursday, Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington called an emergency meeting of health and safety leaders to discuss the rash of overdoses in a 24-hour span, which officials initially described as being in the "double digit numbers."

Friday morning, mayor Ken McClure updated reporters.

“The latest count I heard was that 20 overdose cases had been identified, all having to do, presumably, with fentanyl in heroin. So you presume that there was some batch that had that in there,” McClure said.

The City of Springfield sent an update to media Friday afternoon confirming the two deaths, adding that the number of overdoses in 48 hours "has reached 20" cases.

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Although it can be prescribed for treating severe pain, most cases of fentanyl-related overdose are linked to illegally made fentanyl sold through illegal drug markets. Even a tiny trace of fentanyl can be lethal, experts say. 

State Representative Crystal Quade, who represents part of Springfield, issued a statement on Facebook urging Springfield residents to spread awareness about what she described as a “lethal batch of heroin" circulating throughout the city.

That brings the total of overdose deaths in the Springfield area in 2019 to 44.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department has collected a list of resources for addiction treatment here.

Josh Conaway is a graduate of Missouri State University with a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in International Affairs. He works as a news reporter and announcer at KSMU. His favorite part of the job is exploring the rich diversity of the Ozarks and meeting people with interesting stories to share. He has a passion for history and running.