Madison County’s syringe exchange off to a slow start

ANDERSON – A syringe exchange program aimed at slowing the spread of hepatitis C in a Central Indiana county is off to a disappointing start, health department officials there say.

Only three people have signed up for the program, and 54 needles were exchanged during its first month, Madison County Health Department spokeswoman Kellie Kelley told The Herald Bulletin.

“It’s absolutely disappointing,” Kelley said. “We’re working on building trust.”

The needle exchange program was established to prevent the spread of hepatitis C and HIV, both of which can be contracted by contact with the blood of an infected person.

Kelley said local and state health officials were not surprised by the tepid early response. She said the start in Scott County, the first Indiana county to implement a needle exchange program, was also slow.

She said the mobile unit will move around Anderson, and people can call to receive services. Kelley said the health department is receiving calls daily from people asking for details about the program, and officials are relying on those who ask to be participants to bring other people with them.

Seventy new cases of hepatitis C were identified in Madison County in 2013, and the number nearly doubled to 130 last year. This year, the county is on pace to match or surpass last year’s levels.