Baby girl in Massachusetts revived twice after being exposed to opioid fentanyl
Authorities in Massachusetts say a 10-month-old baby had to be revived twice after she was exposed to fentanyl - a synthetic opioid 40 times stronger than heroin.
Police responded to a call on Treetop Way in Methuen just after noon on New Year's Eve for a report of a 10-month-old child who was not breathing.
First responders took the child to Lawrence General Hospital, where police say she stopped breathing twice and had to be resuscitated. She was later airlifted to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where she's in stable condition.
The 10-month-old girl was airlifted to Tufts Medical Center in Boston after being exposed to fentanyl. She is currently in stable condition
The DEA has recently published a National Drug Threat Assessment stating that an average of 129 deaths per day in 2014 were caused by drug overdoses
Authorities say hospital tests indicate the baby had the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl in her system.
'It's disconcerting, it's heartbreaking to say the last, it's a 10-month old baby, it's difficult to deal with when a child becomes a victim like that,' Methuen Police Lt. Michael Pappalardo said, according to the Boston Herald.
'Even small amounts, trace amounts on an individual that small could prove to be deadly.'
Methuen Police Lt. Michael Pappalardo said: ''Even small amounts, trace amounts on an individual that small could prove to be deadly'
The Department of Children and Families says it has taken custody of the baby. The incident remains under investigation.
Mayor Stephen Zanni says, 'The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries.'
The DEA has recently published a National Drug Threat Assessment stating that an average of 129 deaths per day in 2014 were caused by drug overdoses.
Fentanyl caused the death of 44 people per day that year.
DEA Acting Administrator Rosenberg said: 'We face a public health crisis of historic proportions. Countering it requires a comprehensive approach that includes law enforcement, education, and treatment.'