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Heroin-Related Overdose Deaths Increase In DuPage, Will County

(CBS) -- The DuPage County coroner said there was a 53% increase last year in the number of overdose deaths due to heroin, the more powerful drug fentanyl or a combination of the two.

Coroner Richard Jorgensen also said DuPage had its first overdose of a synthetic heroin called carfentanil. The drug is thousands of times stronger than morphine.

There were 78 heroin-related overdose deaths in DuPage County last year, compared to 51 in 2015.

Will County had a similar story. There were 53 heroin-related overdose deaths in 2015, and 76 in 2016.

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