HIV Outbreak in Indiana Declared a Public Health Emergency

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Last Wednesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence considered a needle-exchange program to be part of a public health emergency he will be declaring on Thursday morning after Scott County got hit by an HIV outbreak.

Health officials confirmed that there are 72 cases of HIV in southern Indiana and seven other people have preliminary positive HIV infections.

The outbreak is said to be caused by intravenous drug use and those infected are connected to Scott County, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to Pam Pontones, state epidemiologist, the infection spread via IV drug use. As a Republican, Pence says that he opposes the needle-exchange program as part of the drug control policy but will listen to health officials as they determine the best way to stop the outbreak in the area.

"This is a public health emergency and I'm listening to my health department, I'm listening to the Centers for Disease Control and I'll make my decision based on the best science and the best way we can stop this virus and stop this outbreak in its tracks," declares Gov. Pence after meeting with local Scottsburg officials.

Needle-exchange programs are illegal in Indiana but would be allowed on a limited basis to keep hepatitis and HIV from spreading. The programs allow people to 'return' hypodermic needles in exchange for clean ones.

According to Yahoo, the HIV outbreak in Indiana is unique because while HIV is considered a sexually transmitted disease, all cases were from intravenous drug use. People were infected after injecting themselves with methamphetamine and Opana, a strong painkiller.

Since Monday, CDC officials have been present in the community to help trace known contacts of those infected. A mobile command center and state resources have been made available in Scott County, and officials have called out on those who are into drug use and HIV positive to make use of the resources to treat their conditions.

The opiate addiction is due to poverty, says Dr. William Cooke, medical director at Foundations Family Medicine. He first opened the facility 10 years ago in Austin, northwest of Scott County.

"We need help. But that costs money. My clinic serves the poorest people in Indiana, potentially the poorest in the country," Cooke said according to a news report in NBC News.

According to Cooke, the rise in HIV spread has been overwhelming. In 2014, there were only 420 new cases of HIV throughout Indiana. In the past three months, there have been over 80 new cases in just one small town.