States of Emergency Declared in Indiana, Oklahoma, Chile

HIV Outbreak: Indiana Declares State of Emergency

Indiana Gov. Pence has declared a public health emergency after “the worst HIV outbreak in the state’s history.”

Pence said 79 cases had been confirmed, but “we expect that number to go up,” with more testing underway.

Every single confirmed case so far has been related to intravenous use of Opana, an opioid painkiller, said Pence.

“This is a very serious situation,” he said, adding that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had advised for a needle-exchange program to be set up.

“I’m prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle-exchange programs,” said Pence. “This is a public health emergency driven by intravenous drug use.”

All of the HIV-infected cases so far detected were either in or connected to Scott County, near the Kentucky border, said a state health official.

Everyone who has tested positive for HIV has admitted to intravenous drug use, although some have also had sex with other users, said a public health nurse at Scott County Health Department.

Fallin Declares State of Emergency After Deadly Tornadoes

Oklahoma governor declared a state of emergency in 25 counties affected by tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and straight-line winds.

The twisters destroyed a mobile home park in suburban Sand Springs. At least one person was reported dead and scores of others injured with widespread damage reported across Oklahoma and Arkansas.

An EF-1 tornado spiraled through the suburb of Moore in Oklahoma City, where 24 people were killed by a tornado in May 2013.

Chile declares a state of emergency due to unprecedented deluge

Chile has declared a state of emergency in the northern regions of Atacama and Antofagasta after extreme rain events (EREs) left dozens of people dead or missing, forced thousands of others to flee their homes and closed copper-mining operations.

The EREs triggered an unprecedented flooding in the desert region, as rivers broke banks isolating numerous villages and communities.

The deluge in the north occurs as drought stricken southern Chile struggles with massive forest fires.