Today, HepVu added updated 2020 county-level opioid prescription and overdose mortality data. These data and maps help visualize the relationship between the opioid and viral hepatitis epidemics and illustrate how geographic differences can impact health outcomes. These county-level maps visualize 2020 opioid prescription rates per 100 people and 2020 overdose mortality rates per 100,000 people across the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of deaths due to opioid abuse has increased sharply since 2015. The epidemic of opioid use both parallels and helps drive viral hepatitis transmission through injection drug use and other factors. HepVu shares these opioid indicators to compare opioid data and viral hepatitis data and help researchers, policymakers, and the public better understand these overlapping epidemics.
Opioid Indicators on HepVu
Opioid data and maps on HepVu can be used to:
- Monitor disparities in opioid prescriptions, pain reliever misuse, and overdose mortality at the state-level and opioid prescriptions and overdose mortality at the county-level and compare these data side-by-side with maps of social determinants of health visualizing poverty, high school education, and median household income;
- Compare opioid data among states and counties in your region, as well as viral hepatitis data such as prevalence and mortality;
- Support research to identify areas that experience an increase in injection drug use and subsequent increases in Hepatitis C transmission;
- Inform advocacy to improve the health of people who use drugs; and
- Inform public health planning.
To learn more about the relationship between opioid indicators and the viral hepatitis epidemic, read our Q&As with experts on the subject, including:
- HepVu’s One Question Series on Viral Hepatitis Elimination: People Who Inject Drugs
- Combatting Hepatitis C Among People Who Use Drugs in Appalachia
- HepVu Q&A: Dr. Eric Hall on County-Level Overdose Mortality and Opioid Prescribing Rates
- Gregory Dore on Hepatitis C Treatment Barriers Among People Who Inject Drugs
For more information on the data source and limitations of HepVu’s opioid data, see our Data Methods and FAQs.
