( CNN ) Indiana is declaring a public health emergency in one county due to an epidemic of HIV . Gov . Mike Pence issued the order Thursday for Scott County , which has 79 confirmed cases of HIV since mid-December . The county averages about five new cases a year . `` Scott County is facing an epidemic of HIV , but this is not a Scott County problem ; this is an Indiana problem , '' Pence said in a news release . All the cases in the current outbreak are linked to injection drug use , primarily of the prescription opioid opana . The declaration requires law enforcement , emergency agencies and health officials to develop a response plan that also includes hospitals and health care providers . A team from the CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention arrived Monday and is working with local and state health officials to stop the outbreak . Their recommendations include a short-term needle exchange program and public awareness campaign focusing on safe sex , needle disposal , addiction services , and HIV testing and treatment . HIV can take up to three months to appear in a person 's system after they are infected . Health officials recommend people who have participated in risky behavior , such as needle sharing and unprotected sex , to be tested for HIV now and again in three months . `` I am confident that together we will stop this HIV outbreak in its tracks , '' Pence said .
Seventy nine cases of HIV have been confirmed in Indiana , Scott County . All cases are linked to intravenous drug use .