Indiana HIV Cases Almost 150; Needle Exchange Bill Signed in Response to Outbreak

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The number of confirmed HIV cases in rural Indiana has climbed to 150. Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill to extend the Needle Exchange Program in Scott County.

The HIV outbreak centered in Scott County of Indiana was due to intravenous drug use of the prescription painkiller, Opana. The signed law is effective immediately to help contain the outbreak in the community.

"This measure will save lives and give public health officials the broadest range of options to confront this and other public health emergencies in the future," Gov. Pence said in a statement, according to a report by Wane.com. "Hoosiers may be assured that our administration will continue to work tirelessly to confront the crisis in Scott County in a compassionate and focused way until public health and public safety are restored."

Rep. Terry Goodin, who lives in the county, was grateful of the signed legislation saying that it was vital to protecting public health.

"You have to think that of all those needles that have been exchanged, at some point would've gone to someone and infected a new person or two or three," he said. "So I would say that it's had to have had an impact," Gooding shared.

Scott County only had one confirmed diagnosis in December of last year and this number increased to more than 25 cases in March this year. In April, the numbers climbed to more than 70 confirmed cases.

The event is considered to be "one of the worst documented outbreaks of HIV among IV users in the past two decades," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention at CDC. "It's of import to the CDC as well as the people of Indiana," IndyStar reported.

One of the biggest hurdles for this program and for the health officials is the lack of precaution and education about the disease.

"There are still a significant proportion of people in Austin who have biases about H.I.V. and are contributing to the stigma and subsequent fear," Dr. Diane Janowicz of Indiana University, one of the experts helping in the HIV treatment, said via NY Times.

"I have to reassure them: If your grandkid wants a sip of your drink, you can share it. It's O.K. to eat at the same table. You can use the same bathroom," she shared.

A 45-year-old woman in Indiana, who was tested positive for HIV, was afraid to start the antiretroviral therapy because of the fear about false rumors surrounding the treatment and disease.

"I thought it was just a homosexual disease," the woman told NY Times. "I didn't ever think it would be in my small hometown."