Staff with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are in Maine this week to assist local health officials in responding to what they say is an unprecedented HIV outbreak.

According to News Center Maine , 30 people in Maine's Penobscot County have been diagnosed with HIV in the last two years alone. Local health officials say most of the cases are linked to homelessness and drug use involving needles.

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“A population that’s very vulnerable and marginalized, so all those things are coming together to really create a situation for this outbreak to exist,” said Jennifer Gunderman, director of Bangor Public Health and Community Services.

A CDC spokesperson confirmed that six federal staff members are working wit

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