CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK)—The state of West Virginia was one of six states that showed improvement in decreasing the percentage of overdose deaths over the past year.

According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), West Virginia overdose deaths were down 3.63% between March 2021 and March 2022.

Courtesy: US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention

The other states to show improvement were Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.

“West Virginia is starting to plateau and likely seeing a slight downward trend,” said Dr. Matthew Christiansen, Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP), West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). “We are encouraged by CDC’s data and will continue our efforts to end West Virginia’s substance use epidemic.”