The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an increase in the number of new HIV infections in rural Indiana county, according to CNN.
Here are 10 notes:
1. The infection has spread among users of a prescription opioid called Opana.
2. The rise in HIV cases is being declared a "severe outbreak." In rural Scott and Jackson counties, 136 cases of HIV were confirmed with six more with preliminary positive test results.
3. Indiana health leaders and the CDC held a conference to discuss the rising number of new cases and the threat of HIV transmission through IV drug use.
4. Health volunteers are treating people and testing them for HIV in a clinic. They additionally are going door to door to in an effort to educate residents about the danger associated with needle sharing.
5. Jonathan Mermin, MD, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, stated many newly infected individuals were not around during the HIV outbreak in the '80s or '90s. They simply are not aware of dangers HIV poses.
6. Dr. Mermin extended a 30-day executive order allowing a needle exchange by an additional 30 days.
7. Needle sharing is a common practice among residents and is often considered a "community activity." This has been a problem in such areas for at least a decade according to Joan Duwve, MD, the chief medical consultant with the Indiana State Department of Health.
8. Opana must be injected frequently, with some residents reporting injecting four to 10 times each day to avoid withdrawals. Many users will inject other users, thus sharing a needle and increasing the chance of HIV transmission.
9. Opana additionally requires larger-gauge needles, exposing users to more blood and increasing their risk of HIV infection.
10. Officials are also concerned about the rising cases of hepatitis C nationally. Hepatitis C has increased by 150 percent from 2010 to 2013. This rise is largely attributed to injection drug abusers.
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