Hepatitis B, scabies and influenza increase in prisons due to overcrowding

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, April 04, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Health safety groups have expressed concern about the outbreak of disease in Venezuelan prisons.  Miranda Penitentiary Services Foundation (Funsepem) president Jose La Rosa reports that hepatitis B, scabies and influenza are the biggest health problems that inmates at El Rodeo 1 and El Rodeo 2 face. 

La Rosa has  headed a team of doctors that visited the two prisons after a hunger strike was lifted.  "We have managed to get an agreement with Universidad Central de Venezuela Faculty of Medicine to attend the prisons."

Doctor Jose Leonardo Gonzalez says hepatitis B is hard to control, , given prison overcrowding and the fact that the disease is handed on through body fluids.  There is also an environmental problem in both prisons ... we have observed places where deadly fungi grows, abundance of green bottle flies,  and a lot of uncontrolled dogs and cats wandering around."