Governor Mike Pence today signed Executive Order 15-06, which extends the public health emergency in Scott County due to an unprecedented outbreak of HIV. The original public health emergency was declared on March 26, 2015, when the Governor signed Executive Order 15-05, which ordered the state to coordinate a multi-agency response and provided additional resources and tools to tackle the outbreak.

pence“We have no higher priority than the health and safety of our citizens,” said Governor Pence. “Today, on the recommendations of the Indiana State Department of Health and in consultation with Scott County officials and the Centers for Disease Control, I used my authority as Governor to extend the public health emergency in Scott County for an additional thirty days. While we’ve made progress in identifying and treating those affected by this heartbreaking epidemic, the public health emergency continues and so must our efforts to fight it.”

As of April 17, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has 128 confirmed cases and 6 preliminary cases of HIV in Scott County related to the outbreak in southeastern Indiana. Typically, Scott County would see fewer than five new HIV cases in a year. All cases are linked to injection drug abuse.

Pursuant to IC 10-14-3-12(a) a state of disaster emergency may not continue for longer than thirty days unless the state of disaster emergency is renewed by the governor. Executive Order 15-05 would have expired on April 24, 2015. The administration will continue to monitor the HIV outbreak to determine whether a further extension is necessary.