A needle exchange program has started in Scott County, IN, where an outbreak of HIV infections in intravenous drug users has affected nearly 90 people. The exchange program was made possible last month when Governor Mike Pence signed an executive order temporarily suspending a state ban on programs that allow addicts to exchanged used needles for clean ones.
The executive order affects only Scott County, which is in southeastern Indiana, just north of Louisville, KY, and is intended to counter the current HIV epidemic. The exchange program is open only to residents of Scott County, through an outreach center in the city of Austin, which is in the center of the area affected by the outbreak. The county is considered to be a drug trafficking corridor.
Each person who uses the program will receive only enough needles for one week from Community Outreach Center. The center will also offer free HIV screening, drug treatment referrals and hepatitis A and B vaccinations.
However, a few if the HIV-positive cases are reported to have occurred in sex workers, which means that the virus, which can lead to AIDS, may spread to people who are not intravenous drug users.
The governor's suspension of the state law is only for 30 days. Pence declared a public health emergency in Scott County late last month. "Scott County is facing an epidemic of HIV, but this is not a Scott County problem; this is an Indiana problem," Pence said in the news release.
The HIV outbreak is strongly believed to be due to sharing of needles by intravenous drug users, many of whom are addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, notably the pain reliever Opana. Many of these drugs are obtained as tablets, which are then crushed up, dissolved in water, and injected. Drug addiction counselors and health activists have stated that the HIV outbreak in Scott County is the result of state officials ignoring the problem of opioid addiction and the risk of HIV.
