Indiana governor declares HIV public health emergency, announces needle exchange program

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) declared a public health emergency in Scott County, Indiana, on Thursday in response to an HIV outbreak, and authorized a temporary needle-exchange program.

The Associated Press reports that Scott County has seen 79 new HIV infections this year, all of which resulted from intravenous drug use. State epidemiologist Pam Pontones told AP that the majority of infections occurred when people injected themselves with the prescription painkiller Opana using shared syringes.

Indiana is creating a command center for substance abuse treatment, Pence announced Thursday. There will also be a mobile unit to help enroll residents in a state health program.

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Under regular circumstances, Indiana law prohibits needle-exchange programs, but Pence agreed to the temporary program because of the "emergency nature of the infections," AP notes.

"This is all hands on deck. This is a very serious situation," Pence said at a news conference Thursday. The executive order will go into effect for a 30-day period.