ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — You may recall our reports from 2015 about the devastating HIV and Hepatitis C outbreak in Scott County.

It’s known as the single largest known outbreak in the nation among people who inject drugs.

Now, it is the centerpiece of a new report from the Indiana State Department of Health on the devastating effects of opioid use throughout the Hoosier state.

Most of us know the overdose risks that come with abusing opioids, but OD-ing isn’t the only gamble drug users are taking every day.

This 217-page report breaks down the numbers of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and the increased number of cases is directly correlated with the opioid crisis.

“Every addict that I’ve talked to has always started with painkillers, and eventually those prescriptions run out. You can buy an inexpensive, $10 bag of heroin and you get the same opioid effect,” said Commander David Wells, Drug Investigations Unit, St. Joseph County.

Commander Wells investigates overdose deaths and goes after drug dealers in St. Joseph County.

“They’re killing people,” said Wells.

From 2011 to 2015, the State Department of Health reports a rate of 42.1 ER visits related to opioid overdoses. This rate is per every 100,000 people in St. Joseph County.

During that same time frame, a rate of 3.7 people of every 100,000 overdosed and died.

“Of a week’s span, you’ll have seven overdoses. One of those people will die,” said Wells.

But overdosing isn’t the only thing that can kill users; what can easily be forgotten are the diseases that users are at risk of contracting.

The cause is needle sharing.

“Last year it was between 25 and 30 percent of our new clients were because of injection drug use,” said Leeah Hopper, executive program director, AIDS Ministries – AIDS Assist.

In 2015, cases of HIV in St. Joseph County were at 217.6 per 100,000 people.

For Hepatitis C, from 2011 to 2015, the county saw an incidence rate of 51.6.

AIDS Ministries – AIDS Assist sees this firsthand.

“So needle exchange is where you would take in your dirty needles to a place and get clean ones in return, no questions asked. We don’t have that here, so they’re re-using their dirty needles so that is one of the main reasons for the spread of Hepatitis and HIV,” said Hopper.

Only nine Indiana counties have been approved for needle exchange programs, the closest being Allen County. The eight additional counties that offer the program are Clark, Fayette, Lawrence, Madison, Monroe, Scott, Tippecanoe and Wayne.

AIDS Ministries – AIDS Assist works closely with folks diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, helping them find housing, transportation and insurance. The organization also offers several free services to the community, including HIV and Hepatitis C testing.

To learn more about AIDS Ministries – AIDS Assist, or to access the organization’s free resources click here. You may also reach AIDS Ministries by calling 574-234-2870 or 1-800-388-AIDS.

In that lengthy report, the health department also delves into trends of other sexually transmitted diseases. This includes chlamydia and gonorrhea, which are both on the rise.

According the study, contracting either STD can increase a person’s chances of getting or giving HIV.

To read the full report by the Indiana State Department of Health, or to see numbers in your county, click here.

Source: WNDU