The spread of the HIV virus in rural Scott and Jackson counties in Indiana since December has been staggering. According to CNN, the outbreak includes 142 people since Friday, which is especially disturbing given that there are only a few thousand people in this particular area.

In Scott County, which is where the epicenter appears to be, there is only one doctor who deals with infectious disease and even so, that doctor is not an HIV specialist.

The CDC and state officials held a press conference on Friday and released a report on the outbreak. The CDC report, as reported by NPR, indicates that 85 percent of those newly diagnosed with HIV have also tested positive for hepatitis C.

To help put these numbers into perspective, of the 142 people diagnosed with HIV in the two counties, 75 percent are men. Also, among the women that have HIV, 25 percent are those who work in the commercial sex industry.

The outbreak has been summed up in the report as being mostly present in these two county areas, with entire families using the prescription drug opioids. The families have been known to use the drug together, with as many as three generations of each family participating. This also includes multiple members of the communities involved as well.

The Indiana State Department of Health has developed a strategy for dealing with the outbreak, which includes educating the public about the situation, a public immunization station and addiction treatment. They are also developing a job-training program, as the CDC report has linked high levels of unemployment and poverty to the crisis.

Although Governor Mike Pence had originally said he would not do this, the program is also implementing a needle exchange program to known injection drug users. Most of the outbreak has been due to drug users sharing needles, thus spreading the virus. The needle exchange program provides clean syringes for a more secure use of the substance. This program has been controversial from the very start and will likely draw criticism from around the country.