State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams declared a public health emergency for Madison County on Tuesday.
That emergency declaration will allow the county to set up a syringe exchange aimed at mitigating the spread of Hepatitis C.
The county requested the exchange last week citing preliminary Hepatitis C diagnoses that would put the county on track to match or exceed last year's total number of 130 cases.
"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."
Adams said the state would also be available to provide assistance to the county.