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A drug user prepares to inject heroin.

(New York Times)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County has already surpassed last year's heroin death toll even though there are nearly three months left in 2016.

There were 46 heroin-related deaths as of Sept. 30, up from 44 in 2015, according to updated numbers from the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office.

The county has seen a significant increase in fatal heroin overdoses since 2010 when there was only one heroin death. The numbers are posted on the Onondaga County Health Department website.

Fentanyl, a highly potent painkiller, is helping fuel the increase.

Of the 46 deaths, 28 involved cases where heroin was mixed with fentanyl. That's nearly double the number of heroin-fentanyl deaths that occurred last year. Only four of the 46 deaths during the first nine months of this year involved heroin alone.

Heroin-related deaths have occurred most frequently among white males, ages 20 to 29, according to the county.

The number of unintentional prescription painkiller deaths during the first nine months also exceeded last year's total. There were 59 deaths in that category through June 30, up from 52 in 2015.

Demand for heroin is growing nationwide because of its availability and increased use by prescription drug abusers who switch to heroin because it is cheaper, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Fentanyl, made in Mexico and China, is being sold as heroin nationwide unbeknownst to many people who use it. It is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and can be deadly at very low doses, according to the DEA.

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