Prognosis
Opioid Crisis Set to Escalate Without Urgent Steps, Study Finds
- Report warns epidemic could expand beyond North America
- Opioid scourge has grown worse during Covid-19 pandemic
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The opioid epidemic could claim another 1.2 million lives in North America over the next seven years and widen globally without stricter regulation and revamped public-health policies, according to a report.
Covid-19 has exacerbated the crisis, increasing pressure on health systems and hampering access to services, the study showed. The loss of jobs, disabilities and deaths of family members and friends in some cases have led to greater drug use and addiction, according to the report, published in the Lancet medical journal Wednesday.