Scott County, Indiana, is a rural county located less than 40 miles to the north of Louisville, Kentucky. As of 2010, it was home to 24, 181 people. Problems facing those who live there include unemployment, a high rate of school drop-outs, a high rate of teen pregnancies—and a high rate of drug abuse.
HIV and Dirty Needles
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug abuse behaviors are one of the main factors in HIV infection spreading in the U.S. Worldwide, there are upwards of 24 million people with HIV. The most recent numbers indicate there are 2.1 million Americans living with HIV. NIDA cites 1 in 5 of those individuals does not know he or she is HIV positive.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), the spread of HIV continues to be driven by injection drug-use in different countries worldwide. The 2013 estimate of those injecting drugs worldwide was estimated to be between 11.2 and 22.0 million people. Of those injection drug users, an estimated 1.6 million live with HIV.
UNDOC reports that those sharing drug-injecting equipment may be 3 times more likely to transmit HIV in comparison to transmission by sexual intercourse.
Closer to home, in the mid-western state of Indiana, an epidemic of injection drug use has led to an epidemic of drug-abuse caused HIV. According to an Indiana-based WLDY32 News report, the HIV epidemic is “all drug related”, and it is “all linked to Scott County, Indiana.”
The cause cited for the unprecedented outbreak of HIV in Indiana is the use of dirty needles to inject (shoot-up) the drug Opana. Re-using and/or sharing drug-injection needles leaves users vulnerable to infections such as HIV, hepatitis, endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining and valves), and abscesses.
What is Opana?
Oxymorphone (Opana) is a narcotic opioid painkiller. As a prescription drug, it targets moderate to severe pain. There is an “extended-release” form of the drug for “around-the-clock” pain treatment.
Opana is similar to the prescription narcotic painkiller, OxyContin, but up to twice as strong. For years, those addicted to prescription painkillers crushed OxyContin pills, then snorted or injected them to get high.
In an effort to mitigate the abuse of the highly addictive opioid narcotic OxyContin, the formula was changed by the drug manufacturer so it could not be easily crushed and used to get high in the same way. Addicts then began turning to Opana to feed their addiction.
The manufacturer of Opana has since changed its formula to mitigate the abuse of the drug by crushing, but the amount of drug already existing on the market which can still be abused continues to fuel its abuse.
Opana, a narcotic in the same class of drugs as heroin, has a similar type of high. Some experts in the field of drug abuse predict that once the stores of crushable Opana are used-up, Opana addicts will turn to heroin to feed their addiction.
The sharing of dirty needles in the abuse of the prescription painkiller Opana is the direct link to the HIV epidemic outbreak now facing Indiana.
Scott County Indiana
According to WLKY32 News, the March , 2015 outbreak of HIVE cases is the worst in Indiana history, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting as reaching epidemic levels.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence is declaring a health emergency in Scott County as a result of the injection-drug use caused HIV outbreak.
From 55 confirmed cases on Monday, 23 March, 2015, to 72 confirmed HIV positive cases and 7 preliminary positive cases by Wednesday, 25 March.
“All of these are related to injected drug use”, says Governor Pence.
While there are five other Indiana counties reporting HIV cases, all are linked to activity and residents in Scott County.
“I will sign an Executive Order declaring a Public Health Emergency in Scott County”, the Governor said.
Government and city leaders are hoping to open-up new clinics over the next 30 days, providing medical aid for HIV testing and treatment.
According to Dr. Jerome Adams, Indiana State Health Commissioner, “HIV is not the death sentence it once was. It’s not even close. You can live 25, 20, 50 years if you get into treatment.”
Governor Pence says he does “not support needle exchange as anti-drug policy.” A needle-exchange provides addicts who will not stop—or cannot stop—injecting illegal drugs with new needles so they don’t continue to use dirty needles. It also provides the addict a place to dispose his or her used needles.
Faced with a public health emergency, Pence issued an Executive Order allowing for local officials to institute a needle-exchange for at least 30 days. Thirty days is the time-frame of the Executive Order itself.
The damage of prescription drug abuse continues is far-reaching and highly destructive effects.
