Drug Surveillance Unit

Opioid-involved Overdose Surveillance in Georgia 

Opioid-involved overdose deaths have been rapidly increasing in Georgia since 2010, driven largely by increased use and misuse of prescription opioids (e.g., Oxycodone and Hydrocodone). Beginning in 2013, illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl drove the sharp increase in opioid-involved overdose deaths. 

The Drug Surveillance Unit monitors overdose trends in Georgia and provides drug surveillance data to the public and to partners working to end the opioid epidemic. This data is also used to detect and respond to rapid increases, or clusters, of overdoses, such as the Counterfeit Percocet-Related Overdose Cluster in Macon during June 2017.

Drug-related Health Alerts

Drug Overdose Case Definitions

Annual Surveillance Data

• Adolescent Opioid Surveillance Report
• Xylazine-Involved Overdose Deaths, 2020-2022
• Opioid Overdose Annual Surveillance
• Stimulant Overdose Annual Surveillance
• State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) Data
• Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Annual Surveillance 

Monthly and Quarterly Surveillance Data 

• Drug Overdose Syndromic Surveillance Monthly Reports
• Drug Overdose Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Monthly Reports
• Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Monthly Reports
• Drug Overdose Surveillance Quarterly Reports

County Vulnerability Assessment 

• Assessment of County Vulnerability to Increases in Injection Drug Use-Related Infectious Disease and Opioid Overdose

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome 

• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in Georgia (Note: NAS is a reportable condition in Georgia)

Online Interactive Data

• OASIS Online Analytical Statistical Information System (customizable maps, charts, and graphs of drug overdose fatality data in Georgia)
• CDC’s Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) Data Dashboard 
• CDC's SUDORS Dashboard: Fatal Overdose Data
• NEMSIS Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard (EMS data) 

Other Georgia Publications

• The Georgia Multi-Stakeholder Opioid and Substance Use Response Plan
• Counterfeit Percocet-Related Overdose Cluster, Georgia, June 2017
• Fentanyl-Associated Illness among Substance Users- Fulton County, Georgia, 2015 

Other Opioid and Substance Misuse Surveillance Resources

• Georgia Comprehensive Opioid and Substance Use Program
• Georgia Department of Public Health Opioid and Substance Misuse Response 
• Georgia Emergency Medical Services (includes drug safety advisories for first responders)
• Georgia Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
• CDC Opioid Overdose Information
• Georgia Substance Abuse Research Alliance (SARA) (background and data on opioid impact, treatment, and legislation recommendations for Georgia)
• Georgia Strategic Prevention System (GASPS) (data on substance abuse prevention and related social indicators in Georgia)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (data on behavioral health, substance abuse, and mental health)

Addiction and Overdose Resources

• Georgia Crisis and Access Line
• SAMHSA Treatment Services Locator
• Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education and Awareness
• Prescription Drug Misuse, Abuse, Addiction and Overdose Prevention

Contact Information

Business Hours: (404)-657-2588

After Hours Public Health Emergencies:  1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584)

[email protected]

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Page last updated 9/13/23