Health

HSE will continue to monitor drugs market in Cork to identify if ‘extra risky substances’ are circulating

Two young men died of suspected overdoses in the city over a period of a few hours

Post mortem examinations will be carried out on both men at Cork University Hospital but their deaths are not being treated as suspicious.
Post mortem examinations will be carried out on both men at Cork University Hospital but their deaths are not being treated as suspicious.
Olivia Kelleher
Sat Jan 18 2025 - 17:05

The HSE has indicated that local services will continue to monitor the drugs market in Cork over the weekend to identify if “extra risky substances” are circulating after two young men died of suspected overdoses in the city over a period of a few hours on Friday.

A 31-year-old man was found dead in an alley near a fast-food restaurant in Kyrl’s Quay in Cork city. It is understood he was from Togher in the southside of Cork city.

Meanwhile, separately a 28-year-old man was found dead in a public toilet at Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork yesterday morning. Emergency services attended at about 10am after the man was found unresponsive in a portaloo. He was formally pronounced dead at the scene.

Post mortem examinations will be carried out on both men at Cork University Hospital to confirm the exact cause of their deaths. However, their deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

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In a statement the HSE said that they were precluded from commenting on individual cases. However, they stated that they have no information to indicate that concern is emerging on the Cork heroin market or that new batches are in circulation.

“The HSE will work with local stakeholders to review these overdoses and will identify if new or emerging trends are associated or if cases relate to other factors.

The HSE works with national services to review drug trends. Communications are issued when extra risky batches are identified on the market. Local services in Cork will support service users during the weekend and will work with the HSE to monitor the market to identify if extra risky substances are circulating.”

The statement added that the most recent risk communications circulated by the HSE relate to counterfeit tablets with different products currently in circulation that could contain novel benzodiazepines or synthetic opioids.

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“The HSE reminds people who access tablets without a prescription to be aware of this additional risk at this time. We are advising people to contact addiction services or their GP if they are experiencing problems with addiction related issues. Alerts from the HSE on drug trends of concern can be found on the drugs.ie social media channels and site.”

Meanwhile, an increase in drug overdoses in Cork has led to members of the Cork City Fire Brigade training in administering a medicine which rapidly reverses and blocks the effects of opioids.

Naloxone is a prescription only medication in Ireland and can only be administered to a trained healthcare professional. The new fire brigade service was launched late last year.

Victor Shine, Second Officer with Cork City Fire Brigade, said that it is a “fantastic development” for fire fighters to be able to deliver the potentially life saving medication.

“We come across the effects of narcotics in all kinds of places including resting areas on top of tables, benches and so on when we’re doing our normal operation duties.

But for somebody who overdoses, we now have the capability of reversing that situation.”

There are a number of delivery systems for Naloxone - needle or nasal.

Mr Shine said the nasal option is their preferred option.

“We’re putting the nasal device preloaded system into each of our trauma bags. There will be two devices put in each bag and every three minutes approximately we can deliver that according to the situation.

“We have a new medical training company, Rec First Aid, who have come in and trained us.

We are now registered with the HPRA, which is an agency that basically manages all training in Ireland for medical systems. We are registered and all our firefighters are licensed basically to deliver this medication now.”

Mr Shine has expressed concern about a rise in drug overdoses in the city.

“The amount of medical assistance that we are doing with the HSE made us realise that drug overdosing in Cork is increasing and we have to be able to respond to the after effects of that.

“Up to now, the only thing we could prescribe was aspirin for our cardiac central cardiac chest pain.

“We believe that we’ll be able to save more lives carrying this system.”