CDC specialists arrived in March, officially declaring an HIV cluster, indicating a dramatic rise of infection in a population linked by needle use. As the HIV cases continued to increase, Huntington officials were left grappling with the mystery of why, despite their best efforts, the cluster hit here. They had seen the bright red “Needle Disposal Box” box with its large biohazard symbol outside the health department. But Huntington’s mayor, law enforcement and the state health department all backed Cabell’s exchange when it opened in 2015. An audit by the state health department found the staff had inaccurately tracked the number of needles distributed.

Source: Washington Post November 04, 2019 00:00 UTC