The state health department published a report that indicated the overexposure of opioids in the newborns in Maine. The report claims that the newborns experience health problems, from the womb itself. It also stated that the rate of which the newborns are affected is five times more than the national average.
The national rate of newborns affected because of opioids is seven per 1000 lives, whereas the rate of newborns being affected in Maine is more than 33 per 1000 lives. Statistically, the national average of women who smoke is 6.5% as compared to Maine, where the rate is 12%, which is also a reason for infants suffering from opioid problems.
Stephen Meister, president of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, showed concern over opioid affected babies by considering the issue as a state crisis.
The government of Maine is taking the necessary steps to cope with the crisis by implementing relevant programs for the well being of the mother and the infant. The state has hired a full-time employee at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to tackle the issue of maternal substance use disorder and substance-exposed infants.
