BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – A Virginia Tech research team is working to develop a vaccine that could help stop opioid addiction.
Data from the Virginia Department of Health show opioid overdose deaths spiked in 2021, with more than 2,000 deaths statewide. By 2024, that number had dropped to roughly 1,000. Data from 2025 has not yet been finalized.
Despite the decline in deaths, a study from Virginia Commonwealth University found that in 2021, the peak year, nearly 150,000 people across Virginia were dealing with some form of opioid-related disorder…