A five-year-old girl was hospitalized after overdosing on fentanyl at a residence in Mission, B.C.
Police said in a statement released Monday that responders were called to a residence on Nottman Street in Mission around 9 p.m. on March 20, for a five-year-old girl who was unconscious.
The five-year-old had been having a bath when she reportedly handled a jar containing fentanyl, and began “exhibiting signs of distress soon afterwards.”
Adults in the house called emergency services after her breathing changed and she began vomiting.
According to the police, the condition of the child rapidly deteriorated and she became unconscious. Responding paramedics revived the child after administering multiple doses of naloxone to counteract the effects of the fentanyl.
She remained in the hospital overnight and is expected to recover.
In their statement, Mission RCMP reminded the public of how “incredibly dangerous” fentanyl can be to people of any age—but especially to children, “who would likely have no idea what the substance is if they were to come into contact with it.”
Even more concerningly, a new trend of criminals pressing fentanyl into bath accessories and candy—items children have access to—has emerged across Canada, significantly increasing the likelihood of children overdosing on the deadly drug.
Last month, the Winnipeg Police Service released photos of the drug pressed and prepackaged to look like cut-out cookies, soaps, candies and what the police service called “confections.” Police announced they became aware of the new designs “as the result of an ongoing investigation.”
Fentanyl pressed into candy and bath accessories is not novel.
British Columbia Conservative Party MLA Elonore Sturko stood up in the Legislature a year ago and mentioned a police seizure of “fentanyl shaped like gummy bears and dinosaurs.”
Police in Hamilton put out a similarly distressing announcement on candy-shaped fentanyl last summer.
In the U.S., meanwhile, two people were arrested in Virginia after seven students ate fentanyl gummy bears and fell ill in December 2023.
In Vancouver, Washington, a mother was charged with manslaughter after an autopsy report showed her 21-month-old daughter had died from fentanyl exposure.
In response to the latest incident, the RCMP reiterated the importance of a “timely dose of naloxone” in the event of a suspected fentanyl overdose.
“Receiving a timely dose of naloxone, as well as further medical care afterwards, is critical to increasing the chances of surviving a fentanyl overdose,” the statement said.
Emergency paramedics and other health workers responded to a staggering 383 overdose calls in 2024—a steep increase from 130 overdose calls in 2016.
The incident that occurred last week involving the five-year-old child remains “under investigation” and no charges have been laid at the time of publication.