Almost 200 People in This Indiana Town Were Diagnosed With HIV

From the start of the HIV outbreak here, health officials emphasized that nothing set Scott County apart from many other rural communities where opioid drug use had become an epidemic . . .

Many people here had viewed HIV as a big-city disease, something that might afflict people in San Francisco or New York. But Austin is a small city of about 4,000 people 40 miles north of Louisville, Ky.

Then in February 2015, the first 30 cases of HIV were reported. By mid-March, the number had climbed to 55 . . .

Now, a year later, the outbreak is at 190 cases. But the sickness runs deeper.

Poverty envelops this city. Empty storefronts dot the main street. Many homes are boarded up or have makeshift tarps instead of windows. Fewer than 10% of Austin’s residents have earned a college degree. (Read more from “Almost 200 People in This Indiana Town Were Diagnosed With HIV” HERE)

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