INDIANPOLIS -- After receiving Madison County's request for a needle exchange program last week, the Indiana State Department of Health officially declared a health emergency Tuesday.

State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams gave the go-ahead, which will allow the county's health center to set up a needle exchange program. This will be the second needle exchange program set up in Indiana.

“Madison County officials led a discussion with their community, and they submitted a detailed analysis of their Hepatitis C epidemic and their plan to combat it,” Adams said in a statement. “I am confident that a syringe exchange program will be operated as part of a comprehensive public health response in Madison County."

While an outbreak of HIV has not been seen in Madison County like in southern Indiana, the county does have a high number of Hepatitis C cases.

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