Indiana is set to declare a public health emergency to county an alarming increase in the rate of HIV infections . Governor Mike Pence said Wednesday he 's mulling a needle exchange and other programs aimed at curbing the rise in infection rates that has been tied to intravenous drug use in southern Indiana . HIV cases have ballooned in the state recently , with 72 cases confirmed and 7 others that preliminary tests say are positive , all coming out of Scott County . Scroll down for video . Drastic measures : Governor Mike Pence said Wednesday he 's mulling a needle exchange and other programs aimed at curbing the rise in infection rates that has been tied to intravenous drug use in southern Indiana . Pence says he will be issuing an executive order Thursday morning to tackle the growing issue , and says although he opposes needle exchanges , that option is on the table . A CDC report in 2005 on syringe exchange programs found those types of interventions were cost-effective ways of preventing blood-borne infections like HIV . 'The cost [ of preventing one ] HIV infection by SEPs has been calculated at $ 4,000 to $ 12,000 , considerably less than the estimated $ 190,000 medical costs of treating a person infected with HIV , ' the report stated , with dollars calculated in their 1997 values . Needle-exchange programs allow intravenous drug users to bring in used needles in exchange for clean syringes , which is believed to suppress transmission of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis . Those exchanges are barred by the state of Indiana , though a bill up for debate in the legislature would allow them under a temporary provision . Dr William Cooke , who runs a clinic in Austin , says his town has borne the brunt of growing intravenous drug use , seeing Hepatitis-C cases be replaced by bigger issues . Mulling it over : Governor Scott Pence appeared in Scottsburg , the county seat , to meet with local officials Wednesday about the crisis , and plans to institute new policies to combat a public health emergency . State response : Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr Jerome Adams said that an awareness campaign has been launched , along with mobile teams sent into the area . 'We 've seen an increase in overdoses , ' Cooke told NBC . 'We 've identified that most of our IV drug users are Hepatitis-C positive . We knew it was a only matter of time until HIV set in . ' 'We need help . But that costs money . My clinic serves the poorest people in Indiana , potentially the poorest in the country , ' Cooke said . 'We do a sliding scale here . If they can , they may pay us 10 dollars for care . I 'm hopeful this declaration provides the funding we have needed . ' 'It 's overwhelming how much pain and suffering is going on here . We can provide a basic level of primary care . But some people ca n't even afford 10 dollars . ' Pence appeared in Scottsburg , the county seat , to meet with local officials Wednesday about the crisis . 'This is a public health emergency and I 'm listening to my health department , I 'm listening to the Centers for Disease Control , ' Pence said after the meeting . ' I 'll make my decision based on the best science and the best way we can stop this virus and stop this outbreak in its tracks , ' he added . In the last month , Indiana has gone from 26 confirmed HIV cases , when officials first announced the outbreak , to 72 now . Intravenous drug led to infection in almost all cases , according to state epidemiologist Pam Pontones . Still , the number of HIV cases is estimated to rise in the coming weeks . Indiana officials know of up to 100 people that may be connected to those with confirmed cases and are trying to contact them . Indiana is running an awareness campaign through billboards and social media aimed at warning residents about the outbreak exploding in south Indiana . Dr Jerome Adams , the state health commissioner , said a mobile health unit is being sent with= resources that the state hopes will aid in the outbreak . Pontones said staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , who arrived in the area Monday , agreed with state officials that the outbreak 'is an indicator of a larger problem ' of drug use driven by poverty . 'With the amount of drug use that 's happening and the intravenous needle-sharing that 's going on , if someone who 's highly infectious becomes part of that sharing network , that infection can transmit very rapidly , ' Pontones said . She said the vast majority of the people who 've become infected during the outbreak shared a syringe with someone else while injecting a liquid form of the prescription painkiller Opana . Republican Representative Ed Clere of New Albany , who proposed the needle distribution and collection program Wednesday at the Statehouse , said a House panel considered similar legislation last year , but it did n't receive a hearing in the Senate . 'Unfortunately we 're back here , not just with needle exchange as a hypothetical theory , but with a real situation where a needle exchange ( program ) could make a difference , ' he said .
Almost all 80 cases confirmed or believed to be positive have come out of Scott County in the south of the state . The town of Austin has been hard hit , and a local clinic says poor residents are unable to pay for treatment . Needle exchanges , where intravenous drug users can trade used syringes for clean ones , are believed to be useful in combating the spread of HIV . State legislators have opposed initiatives for needle exchanges in the past . Most of the infected individuals were believed to have injected a liquid form of the painkiller Mike Pence , and shared a syringe with someone else .