HIV outbreak in southern Indiana now at 184 cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indiana State Department of Health says more people have tested positive for HIV in an area of southern Indiana that has been the center of the worst outbreak in state history.

State officials said Friday morning that the total number of cases is now 184. The new cases were identified through a two-week retesting in November. During that retesting state workers contacted 476 high-risk individuals who hadn’t had an HIV repeat test in 30 days. Of those people, 181 were tested and three were found positive.

State health officials say retesting is still available.

Nearly all of the cases have occurred in Scott County, about 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. The outbreak has been largely driven by needle-sharing among people injecting a liquefied form of the painkiller Opana.