Indiana Governor Mike Pence Declares HIV Outbreak Public Health Emergency, Launches Needle Exchange

With new cases of HIV infections coming in every day, Indiana governor Mike Pence announced a needle-exchange program, even as he declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

According to ABC News, around 79 cases of infections have been confirmed during the present outbreak, worst the state has ever seen. Numbers are set to increase, with most cases of infections being tied to intravenous use of the drug Opana, and in someway linked to Scott County bordering Kentucky. The county usually sees about five cases a year.

Health officials in the county said painkiller drug Opana is usually not prescribed by local doctors and is coming from outside the county. Pence's announcement for a needle-exchange records a shift in his stand against such programs.

"I do not enter into this lightly. In response to a public health emergency, I'm prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle exchange programs," Pence reportedly said.

The program will be deployed in Scott County for 30 days before it can be reviewed for extension. The governor's announcement also drew criticism from non-government experts who noted needle-exchange can do little to stem the outbreak. Such arguments have centered on lack of public health infrastructure like Scott Counties, which is among Indiana's most backward counties in health outcomes.