JOURNAL ARTICLE

The 2025 Drug Overdose Spike That Wasn't: Neither Politics nor Data Errors Explain the Anomaly.

  • Published In: American Journal of Public Health, 2026, v. 116, n. 5. P. 591 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Post, Lori Ann; Ciccarone, Daniel; Lundberg, Alexander Lars; Mason, Maryann; Sharma, Shivangi; Unick, George Jay; Dasgupta, Nabarun 3 of 3

Abstract

The article examines a spike in drug overdose deaths in January 2025 according to estimates by the U.S. National Center for Statistics System (NVSS), which reversed the national downward trend. It discusses the revision of the NVSS algorithm used to account for incomplete autopsies and national projections that is said to contradict evidence of continuing declines, and the sudden restrictions in other federal data sources. It describes the impact of the opioid fentanyl on the overdose epidemic.

Additional Information

  • Source:American Journal of Public Health. 2026/05, Vol. 116, Issue 5, p591
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Health and Medicine
  • Publication Date:2026
  • ISSN:0090-0036
  • DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2025.308412
  • Accession Number:192845816

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