Ohio county coroner warns of fentanyl-laced drugs following 10 overdose deaths in 26 hours
Insight from Franklin County, Ohio coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz.
America's opioid crisis is not going away anytime soon, according to an Ohio coroner whose county saw 10 deaths from the epidemic in a 26-hour period.
The powerful drug fentanyl is fueling the crisis in the Columbus area, Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz told Shepard Smith on Thursday on "Shepard Smith Reporting."
"We know here in Franklin County and throughout the United States, we're having an issue with fentanyl," she said. "Fentanyl is what's driving many of the overdoses now throughout the United States, especially here in Franklin County."
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Ortiz recommended that people in areas where the epidemic is centered should carry the antidotal substance Narcan or naloxone.
During the interview, Smith asked Ortiz whether the county's crisis and the resulting overdose deaths are being fueled by one supplier or many.
Ortiz said it is likely the work of one supplier whose drug has fanned out across the area, but underlined that her office cannot say for sure.
"I know for sure DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency], Ohio High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency and law enforcement are all working on the issue right now as we speak," she said.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, compared the deaths from opioid overdoses to the casualties of war.
"More people have died in one year in America over the opioid epidemic from overdoses than died in the Vietnam War," he said in a clip played by Smith.
On Sunday, Ortiz said in a statement that as of, "about 10 ... this morning, we have had 10 people die of overdoses in about 26 hours."
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"This is an unusually high number for our county in this period of time."
The coroner issued a similar alert last month when six people died from an overdose in less than 24 hours on Aug. 10-11. She said the "majority of overdose deaths continued to be fentanyl-related."
Fox News' Nicole Darrah contributed to this report