News

Tippecanoe County considers needle exchange program, testing

Posted October 18, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Tippecanoe County is considering options to address an uptick of new hepatitis C cases, including a needle exchange program, testing and medical treatment.

The Lafayette Journal & Courier reports (http://on.jconline.com/2e9Iszk ) new cases of hepatitis C in the county nearly doubled from 2014 to 2015. In 2014, the Tippecanoe County Health Department confirmed 50 new cases. That number rose to 97 in 2015. As of late September, 55 new cases had been confirmed this year.

A public meeting is Nov. 21 at the Board of Commissioners meeting.

Needle exchanges provide clean syringes to intravenous drug users to prevent needle-sharing that spreads hepatitis C, HIV and other diseases. A law allowing counties to request approval for needle exchanges was approved last year in response to an HIV outbreak in Scott County.

___

Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Indiana News Region

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.