Indiana health officials are creating rate profiles for HIV and hepatitis C for all 92 counties to help local officials determine if they can take advantage of a new needle-exchange law.
State epidemiologist Pam Pontones said Wednesday the State Department of Health hopes to complete those profiles quickly to help counties decide if they have either HIV or hepatitis C outbreaks. The profiles will include intravenous drug use rates.
A new law allows Indiana communities to seek state approval to run needle exchanges if they can prove they’re facing an HIV or hepatitis C epidemic fueled by IV drug use.
That legislation was spurred by a southeastern Indiana HIV outbreak that’s tied to needle-sharing among IV drug users. That region has 153 confirmed cases of the virus that causes AIDS.