The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdose deaths dropped 10% from April 2023 to April of this year, the first such decline in a decade. Previous years have seen either small drops or, more commonly, double-digit percentage increases. The total number of deaths last year was 112,470. That number has since dropped to 101,168.

In some states, the number of overdose deaths has dropped even more than 10%, according to researchers.

“In the states that have the most rapid data collection systems, we’re seeing declines of 20%, 30%,” said Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, an expert on street drugs at the University of North Carolina, according to NPR.

While the cause for the drop in deaths is still a mystery, some researchers have chalked the positive news up to better drug treatment and overdose prevention.

“Expansion of naloxone and medications for opioid use disorder — these strategies worked,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

While the drop is a positive shift, researchers have cautioned against seeing the numbers in too optimistic a light.

“I think we have to be careful when we get optimistic and see a slight drop in overdose deaths,” said Dan Salter, who heads a federal drug interdiction program. “The last thing we want to do is spike the ball.”