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Opioid-addicted births on the rise

Opioid-addicted births on the rise


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SALT LAKE CITY -- New numbers show more babies than ever before are being born addicted to opioids like prescription painkillers and heroin.

The Centers for Disease Control found the number of babies being treated for opioid addiction at birth spiked 300% between 1999 and 2013 across the country. In Utah, that number increased 500% in the last ten years.

The report shows other states also saw spikes, some even higher than Utah's.

Health officials are recommending doctors do more to slow down the number of painkillers prescribed to women between the ages of 18 and 44, to lessen the odds that a woman of childbearing age or at risk of becoming pregnant might also become addicted to opioids.

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Paul Nelson

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