The top medical official in Riverside, Calif., declared an unofficial state of health emergency Tuesday in the county, warning that the number of reported cases of hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS has skyrocketed in recent years.

Riverside County Health Director Gary Feldman told the county Board of Supervisors that police officers, nurses, doctors and residents are in danger of contracting an infectious disease and that a needle exchange program is a proven way to stop escalating infection rates.

Since 1995, reported cases of hepatitis B have increased by 49 percent in Riverside, and the area's AIDS rate is higher than that in the state or nation, he said.

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