Interior Health and the BC Coroners Service have issued a public warning due to an increased detection of carfentanil.

Of the 19 deaths across the province in March where carfentanil was detected, 7 were in the Interior Health area.

Harm Reduction Coordinator Jessica Bridgeman says the warning was issued to increase awareness.

“I think that any time that we see increase in something like carfentanil that’s more than we’ve seen previously, it’s important,” she said.

Bridgeman noted preliminary data suggests that March might be a particularly bad month for overdoses and possibly overdose deaths.

“I can’t speak as to whether or not it’s going to last or not, but like anything with this public health emergency, it seems to be ongoing and slightly ever changing in what we’re seeing,” she said.

“That is why we want to make sure that people are aware of the different things that they can do.”

The health authority says it’s unclear which substances carfentanil has been detected in.

Carfentanil is similar to fentanyl, but can be 100 times more toxic, and is usually used as a sedative for large animals.

Health officials say ingesting one or two grains can be fatal to humans, and that carfentanil is not detected by fentanyl strips.

People using illicit drugs are asked not to mix different drugs, not to use alone, and to “use less and pace yourself.”

Bridgeman also recommends that people train themselves on how to use a naloxone kit.

IHA is also asking drug users in Kamloops, Kelowna, and Nelson to use local supervised consumption sites, if possible.