‘Significant’ boost in HIV outbreak

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana county at the heart of an HIV outbreak has had a “significant increase” in the number of cases more than two weeks into a short-term needle exchange program approved by Gov. Mike Pence, state health officials said Friday.

The Indiana State Department of Health said there are now 120 confirmed HIV cases and 10 preliminary positive cases tied to Scott County, about 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. That’s up from 106 last week.

Health officials who declared an epidemic last month have said they expect the number of cases to rise as more people are tested. But the growing number could put pressure on Pence to extend the 30-day needle exchange program that he approved March 26.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS This July 1946 photo shows the U.S.S. Independence near Bikini Atoll. Scientists have found the ship, mostly intact and sitting upright, near the Farallon Islands.