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Vigo County is looking into starting a needle exchange program, fearing they could be at risk for an HIV outbreak.
Needle exchanges are now legal under recently passed legislation, if county officials go through the set process and receive state approval to do so.
Two hundred seventy-four people already live with HIV in Vigo County, and in 2014 there were 126 cases of hepatitis — a virus that spreads the same way HIV does.
But Vigo County Health Department Administrator Joni Wise says there are a lot of factors to consider. The state requires counties show their situation qualifies as an emergency, and despite the high numbers, HIV and Hepatitis C rates in Vigo County have actually dropped since 2013.
“Do we know that we have a problem with HIV and Hepatitis C, yes," Wise said. "Is it an emergency status where we need to enact a needle program? That’s for other vested partners along with the health department to decide.”
Scott County is the only county in the state that has a needle exchange. The state approved an exchange there after HIV started spreading quickly, infecting more than 160 people since December.
Fayette County in eastern Indiana is also considering implementing a needle exchange.
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