
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 24, 1991                   TAG: 9103240196
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                                LENGTH: Short

INMATES FEAR EXPOSURE TO AIDS

Inmates at the Portsmouth City Jail say they are afraid they may have contracted the AIDS virus from cleaning up after a cellmate and coming into contact with his blood.

The inmates said jail administrators should have informed them the man had AIDS, although officials can't say whether he has the disease.

For three months, the 40-year-old man seemed extremely ill, inmates said. His leg had open sores that ran. He regularly lost control of his bowels. He suffered from night sweats and once had a convulsion.

The inmates want to be tested to see whether they contracted the virus, which ultimately destroys the body's immune system.

Spokesmen for the Virginia Health Department and the national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said the inmates face minimal risk.

- Associated Press

by CNB