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That advice was echoed by Rhonda Galler, supervisor of family health at Lambton Public Health.

“Anyone using these drugs should be aware of the potential potency of them and they should not use alone and Narcan (a brand of naloxone) should be present and a lot of Narcan because it’s taking larger than the usual dosage to revive people in some cases,” she said.

While no concrete numbers were available, Galler said there are unconfirmed reports of more recent overdoses in the area and situations where naloxone, available for free at health units and pharmacies, has “reversed some very serious situations.”

Galler is convinced a concentrated form of fentanyl is being circulated in the area. “It’s very, very potent stuff,” she said, adding “at least a life is saved every day in Lambton because of the Narcan.”

It’s the worst it’s ever been in terms of the number of overdoses Chris Mackie

She called the situation “terrifying” for people who are addicted to opioids. “People have a physical addiction to these drugs and they can’t even count on the fact that they are using a safe amount, because the suppliers are putting such potent stuff in them.”

The first hint of a crisis may have been sounded on March 22, when the Grey Bruce Health Unit issued an alert about five overdoses in four events within 48 hours, up from only three in the previous three weeks. The health unit pointed to purple fentanyl as the possible cause.

Since Friday, there have been reports of increased numbers of overdoses in Brant, Oxford, Perth, Middlesex and Lambton, while Chatham-Kent and Essex reported no noticeable increase in opioid-related illnesses.

There have been no reports from Elgin County, but Lisa Gunn, a criminal defence lawyer in St. Thomas, said she knows of one death of a client by an apparent overdose.

“This has been ongoing since the arrival of fentanyl,” she said. “It’s mind-boggling.”

Meanwhile, in Woodstock, 17-year-old Connor Mackay’s family has made funeral arrangements for the teen who overdosed on Saturday and died on Monday. Woodstock police are investigating.

“Our main focus is finding out what the youth had taken and determining how he came into contact with it,” Woodstock police Sgt. Marcia Shelton said.

The police are waiting for autopsy results.

Statistics from Public Health Ontario show there were 1,265 deaths from opioids in 2017, including 117 among the 15 to 24 age group and six among kids younger than 14.

The Public Health Agency of Canada estimated 3,996 Canadians died from an apparent opioid related overdose in 2017.