Pubdate: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 Source: West Australian, The (Australia) Page: 40 Contact: FAX: +61 8 94823830 Website: http://www.thestate.com/ HEPATITIS C FEAR FOR NSW JAILS ALMOST half all NSW prisoners are infected by hepatitis C, according to a report released yesterday. The State parliamentary standing committee on social issues said hepatitis C was a neglected epidemic in the community, singling out the level of infection in the State's jails as shocking and alarming. "Studies have confirmed hepatitis C infection rates of between 40-60 per cent for male inmates and 70-80 per cent for female inmates," the report said. It said most prisoners contracted the disease through dirty needles when using drugs intravenously or creating homemade tattoos. The report said it would be naive to claim there was no drug use in jails. - --- Checked-by: Rich O'Grady