The drug crisis in West Virginia won’t be cured overnight, or with one or two elections.
It will take several generations to reverse.
That’s what Dr. Michael Brumage, director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program in the West Virginia University School of Public Health at the WVU Injury Control Research Center, told members of the WVU student-led Rural Health Interest Group Tuesday.
Brumage’s talk — The Drug Crisis in West Virginia: Beyond the Surface — likened the state’s drug problem to metastatic cancer.
“This is a kind of cancer eating away at the fiber of society,” said Brumage, who is also a preventive medicine physician.
The state’s drug problem has been exacerbated by the growth of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, and its use in cutting cocaine, plus the return of the Speedball, a mixture of cocaine and heroin.
“We’re (the state) at the top of lists where we shouldn’t be and at the bottom of lists where we should be,” he said.
Much of the reason why the southern part of the state has been more affected by drugs is its proximity to Interstate 64 and Interstate 77. Many of the drugs that have found their way to the state have come from the Detroit area, added Robin Pollini, a WVU substance abuse and infectious disease epidemiologist.
“Drugs tend to follow the interstate,” she said. “Plus, we have good services in Mon County.”
In 2017, there were 727 overdose deaths in the state, Brumage said. The two biggest contributors were fentanyl, which accounted for 24% of the deaths, and prescription opioids, which accounted for 20%.
In addition, West Virginia leads the U.S. in hepatitis B and hepatitis C, Brumage said.
Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver and fatal if not treated. It is spread when someone comes into contact with bodily fluid, open sores or blood of an infected person. Hepatitis C is also a liver infection and is spread the same way. It shows few symptoms.
“In Kanawha County, there was a 322% increase in hepatitis B cases between 2012 and 2017,” he said. “It’s an epidemic of epidemics.”
Many of the hepatitis cases, as well as endocarditis — an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers — and osteomyelitis — an infection of the bone — can be prevented by needle exchange and recovery programs.
“If you get someone in, they have a 5% more chance of recovery.”
Brumage said one thing not known is the impact on the brains of children of addicts.
“There has been a flood of kids in foster homes,” he said. “Or, more grandparents are now raising their grandchildren. The social costs are staggering.”
He said if a child has suffered six adverse childhood experiences, like emotional or physical abuse, researchers have found the individual is 46 times more likely to inject drugs as an adult and live 20 years less.
“Women have the propensity of having a greater burden of (adverse childhood experiences) than men,” he said.
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