Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, is warning Yukoners about the continuing danger of fentanyl in the territory.

On Friday, the Yukon coroner’s office issued an update on fentanyl-related deaths in the territory. It confirmed that there have been five deaths in the territory officially linked to the drug since April 2016, and that this number may grow.

Hanley says the update means Yukoners should remain vigilant about the dangers the drug poses.

“The risk is still there, and I think part of the reason to kind of give an update was to kind of relay that fentanyl is still around,” he said.

The news release from the coroner’s office comes more than a year since the first fentanyl-related death was officially reported in the territory. One of its intentions was to address public concerns that more deaths could be linked to the drug.

Hanley said that while no new deaths have been reported in 2017, the drug is still an issue in the territory.

“Even though we’re not seeing a surge of fentanyl-related deaths, it is picking off people every now and then,” he said.

“It’s unpredictable, but it’s definitely around. We’re vigilant.”

He noted that people visiting the ER with suspected drug use or overdose continue to test positive for the drug. though positive tests can be sporadic.

“I think that leads to the unpredictability of it,” he said.

“My fear is that people will maybe get too relaxed or complacent after not seeing it for a while.”

Opioids in general, Hanley said, can be dangerous when they’re used recreationally and that fentanyl is particularly dangerous because of its potency.

Fentanyl is estimated to be 100 times more toxic than morphine and 40 times more toxic than heroin.

“Gram for gram, it’s an extremely potent and therefore lethal drug,” said Hanely.

“It only takes a few grains of fentanyl to kill someone.”

He explained that because fentanyl is so powerful, in powder form it is easily concealed and exported from places like China, and can easily be distributed and inserted into other drugs.

Fentanyl is most commonly found in fake oxycontin and Xanax tablets.

And because it is an unregulated drug, its effects can be unpredictable.

“One pill may be completely different from another pill, and there can even be hotspots within the pill,” explained Hanley.

Fentanyl first made its way into Canada in 2013, but in recent years, the supply has increased across the country.

Hanley said this is due to mounting demand driven in part by people who have been habituated to opioids through prescription pain medication.

There is also a growing number of people who are seeking out the drug.

“People hear that it’s a powerful drug, and it appears that people are actually looking for fentanyl,” said Hanley.

When it comes to addressing Canada’s opioid crisis, Hanley said, there are both short- and long-term solutions.

The short-term includes getting messages about fentanyl and drug use out to the recreational drug using community.

Hanley said that if people are going to use drugs recreationally, they should do so in a safe place with a friend.

They should also try to know as much as possible about where their drugs are coming from, and learn more about the dangers of fentanyl.

He added that people taking opioids recreationally or as prescription medication should also own and learn how to use take-home naloxone kits.

Naloxone temporarily reverses the effects of an overdose caused by opioids to allow time to access medical care.

There are more than 300 free kits available at 10-plus sites in the Yukon.

This includes the Kwanlin Dün First Nation Health Centre, Blood Ties Four Directions Centre, Taiga Medical Clinic, Alcohol and Drug Services, the Salvation Army, Whitehorse pharmacies, and rural health centres.

Hanley said long-term solutions include looking for ways to treat pain without resorting to opioids, managing opioid addictions through stable medications, better access to treatment and screening for addictions.

He said there is a whole range of medical management of pain and addiction in central and rural Yukon.

According to acting chief coroner Heather Jones, nearly five per cent of the caseload of the Yukon Coroner’s Office has been fentanyl-associated cases.

She anticipates this number could rise as more laboratory results come out, due to a four- to six-month wait for toxicology results.

British Columbia, the epicentre of the nation’s fentanyl crisis, saw 139 overdose deaths in January and February of this year – a 90 per cent increase in the same period last year.