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Officials said that 71 cases of H.I.V. identified since mid-December have been traced to intravenous use of a prescription painkiller in Scott County north of Louisville, Ky. Nine more cases are still under investigation, and state health officials predicted that more would appear in coming weeks. The governor authorized a short-term exchange program that would provide drug users with access to sterile needles so that contaminated needles were less likely to be shared. (Schwarz and Smith, 3/26)

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence overrode state law and his own anti-drug policies Thursday to authorize a short-term needle-exchange program designed to help contain HIV infections in a rural county where more than six dozen cases have been reported, all of them tied to intravenous drug use. (3/26)

An HIV outbreak in Southern Indiana caused Gov. Mike Pence to declare a health emergency on Thursday and authorize a needle-exchange program — a strategy a local legislator says should be instituted in Lake and Marion counties as well. Scott County, a rural area about 30 miles north of Louisville, Ky., has seen 79 new infections since December. On average, the county sees about five infections each year. All of the infections have been linked to needle sharing among drug users, particularly those who injected prescription painkillers, methamphetamine and heroin. (Nance Lazerus, 3/26)