THE US state of Indiana declared a last week. The reason? Sixteen times as many HIV cases have been reported so far in 2015 than the state normally sees in a whole year. The jump has been linked to intravenous drug use and shared needles.
鈥淭his is all hands on deck,鈥� state governor Mike Pence said at a press conference on Thursday, referring to the outbreak as an 鈥渆pidemic鈥�. The emergency declaration allows the release of additional resources and tools to tackle the problem.
The epicentre is Scott County in . As of 27 March, 81 cases of HIV had been reported, all of which have been connected to the injection of drugs. The county normally sees five cases a year.
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Needle exchange programmes are illegal in Indiana. However, Pence, a vocal opponent, has announced that the law will be changed so that a 30-day programme can be initiated to stop the virus spreading further.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淗IV emergency鈥�
