TN: Increased Incidence of Fentanyl-Related Deaths Involving Para-fluorofentanyl or Metonitazene — Knox County, Tennessee

Increased incidence of fentanyl-related deaths involving para-fluorofentanyl or metonitazene — Knox County, Tennessee, November 2020–August 2021

This week’s MMWR reported an increased incidence of fentanyl-related deaths involving para-fluorofentanyl or metonitazene in Knox County, Tennessee, November 2020–August 2021. The Knox County Regional Forensic Center (KCRFC) in Knoxville, Tennessee first identified para-fluorofentanyl in toxicology results of victims of drug overdoses in November 2020, and metonitazene, either alone or in combination with fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, in January 2021. During November 2020–August 2021, KCRFC reported 770 total unintentional drug overdose deaths. Among these deaths, 73% of cases received postmortem positive test results for fentanyl, including 192 fentanyl-positive cases reported in the absence of other substances, 188 that involved fentanyl and methamphetamine, 48 that involved para-fluorofentanyl, and 26 that involved metonitazene. Read the full report here.