West Virginia has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to a report released Wednesday, further spotlighting Appalachia's festering drug abuse problem that is also fueling a rise in hepatitis C in one of the nation's poorest regions. There were 33.5 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia residents from 2011-13. The figure comes from the report released Wednesday by the nonprofit groups Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Researchers wrote 'West Virginia's [drug overdose death] rate increased from 20.3 per 100,000 people in 2007 to 2009 to 33.5 percent in 2011 to 2013, a 65 percent increase.'There were 33.5 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia residents from 2011-13The number went up dramatically from 22 deaths per 100,000 people in 2007-09Researchers found the lowest drug overdose death rate was in North Dakota, with 2.6 deaths per 100,000 people
The recent outbreak of _, which can be transmitted by injecting drugs or having unprotected sex, is centered in rural areas among young, white drug users.