HEP C STILL LOOSE IN JAIL

Officials at Drumheller Institution have made little headway in the battle
against hepatitis C -- one year after the facility posted one of the
highest rates of infection among inmates in Canadian jails.

"There's been no significant change one way or the other," said assistant
warden Bob Lytle.

"We're continuing with our treatment and education programs. The numbers
nationally, as far as I know, are mid-to high-20s, and ours are in the 30
per cent range."

Rampant drug use and needle sharing, coupled with crude tattooing methods,
are to blame for the high rates of hepatitis C infection, a disease which
attacks the liver and can be fatal.

And because prisons house past and present drug users in such close
quarters, the chances of contracting the deadly disease are far greater
than on the streets.

To stop the spread of hepatitis C, jail officials provide bleach to inmates
as they scramble to stop the flow of drugs into the facility.