The CDC has identified 220 counties nationwide that are vulnerable to HIV outbreaks based on overdose rates and the volume of prescription opioids sold in the area, among other factors.
KHN found less than one-third of these counties have implemented syringe exchange programs, which provide drug users with clean needles to help reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.
Indiana serves as a prime example of this trend. In 2015, the 4,100-person town of Austin experienced the largest drug-related HIV outbreak in the state’s history. HIV rates quickly skyrocketed, ultimately infecting 235 people. While the outbreak spurred Mike Pence — the state’s Republican governor at the time — to legalize syringe exchange programs, only nine of the state’s 92 counties currently operate one.
Since then, drug-related outbreaks have occurred in other rural communities, even those with needle exchange programs, which demonstrates the difficulty of responding to the opioid epidemic’s continued repercussions, NPR noted.
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