Baby was exposed to carfentanil, ‘is now safe,’ police confirm

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This article was published 10/11/2016 (3608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A baby rushed to hospital from a North End house last month was somehow exposed to carfentanil, an even more dangerous drug than fentanyl, which is what police initially feared was responsible for the infant’s desperate medical condition.

Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the laboratory results from the analysis of powder found in the Aikins Street home did not reveal fentanyl, but were positive for carfentanil, which is 100 times more powerful.

Providing a further comparison, Michalyshen said Thursday that carfentanil “is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine.”

“An incredibly scary circumstance for everyone involved, and we’re so thankful that this nine-month-old has improved and is now safe,” he said.

Police aren’t sure how the child had contact with the drug — and likely will never know.

“The child could have ingested it, he may have breathed it in, he may have had contact through skin,” Michalyshen said.

Carfentanil is used as a general anesthetic for large animals, said Bronwyn Penner-Holigroski, a spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

“Here in Manitoba we use it on polar bears,” she said. “Carfentanil is the most potent opioid used commercially. It is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and is toxic for humans.”

Fentanyl is prescribed for pain management during cancer treatment. It is also administered to large animals by veterinarians.

Police said last month they believed the infant had been exposed to fentanyl because after the antidote naloxone was administered in hospital Oct. 18, his condition immediately improved.

Penner-Holigroski said because carfentanil is a derivative of fentanyl, an overdose can also be treated with naloxone, but “it requires a much larger dose of the antidote.”

Police found 10 ounces of bagged powder in the home, as well as half an ounce of loose powder, a cutting agent and a contaminated bowl and spoon.

The baby’s parents — 33-year-old man and 32-year-old woman — were arrested a few days later and charged with failing to provide the necessities of life, causing bodily harm by criminal negligence and possession of a drug for the purpose of trafficking.

They were taken into custody and have since been granted bail.

Michalyshen did not provide any details on the baby’s care since the incident.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca