Officials report an ‘outbreak’ in Austin with 4 deaths and over 50 suspected drug overdoses

Austin, Texas, officials are investigating a deadly drug overdose outbreak spreading across the city, with 51 suspected cases as of Tuesday afternoon. The overdoses, with four suspected deaths, range in ages from 20s to 50s and across racial/ethnic groups. The surge started downtown but spread throughout the city. Narcan rescue kits were distributed, and officials suspect a new batch of drugs is the cause. Drug poisoning-related deaths in Texas are at their highest rate since 2011. Travis County had 308 provisional drug overdose deaths in 2022. Fentanyl may be driving the increase in overdoses and deaths.

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