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MADISON — Health officials have issued an overdose alert in Dane County, after six opioid overdose patients showed up in Dane County emergency rooms in nine days.

The public health alert was issued Wednesday afternoon by Public Health Madison and Dane County, Madison Police and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The spike in overdoses was from July 14 to 22.

“Please be aware of this, and alert anyone who may be at an increased risk of overdose,” said Madison Police Capt. Cory Nelson in his blog.

“We don’t know the reason for the increase,” PHMDC officials said. “We also do not have information about where the overdoses are coming from (within the county). These numbers reflect those who went to or were taken to emergency departments/rooms.”

Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said DHS put out the alert based on guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control, when a region hits a certain number of overdoses in a certain period of time.

The Dane County Narcotics Task Force said the potency of street-level heroin can vary from batch to batch, and can even vary depending on where the initial source came from.