Southern Indiana – HIV has been running loose in the state of Indiana; the state has a total of 130 reported cases of HIV since December. The health department has added that the number is likely to increase as more people get tested for the deadly disease.
It has also been found that the HIV cases are mostly being reported from Scott County and Austin. Drug addictions, poverty and improper sanitary conditions have so far been the stated cause of this HIV outbreak.
The executive director of an agency that delivers HIV and AIDS services out of Merrillville, Tammy Morris, stated that the case could have been the same for any other county or state in the country. He also stated that without proper tests, it is impossible to tell if someone is suffering from the disease. People appear to be very healthy, hiding any physical symptoms of the disease.
The source of this outbreak has been traced back to a prescription use of the painkiller Opana, as per health officials. The officials have also confirmed that the drug is not being prescribed in Scott County, but the origin of the drug is yet to be found.
The pill, once it is crushed and liquefied, can be enough for almost eight injections, which are then mostly shared. In comparison, a bag of heroin would be for single use only. Additionally, Opana is also being sold out on the street, at a price of $160 a pill.
However, experts say that the drug is not as widely used as heroin in the region. Even though, Opana is thought to be the major cause of the outbreak, health officials have warned that sharing of just about any drug can cause the problem.
Aaron Kochar, the director of education and prevention at Porter-Starke services, outlined that opiate addiction is itself an epidemic.The alarming part is that we can see it in our communities all the time. He also stated that Opana, being an extended release pill, is very potent when injected.
