DAMMAM, 9 February — Four Saudis who were jailed in Dammam recently have been infected with the HIV virus, Okaz reported yesterday quoting an official source at the Department of Prisons in the Eastern Province.
The paper added that the prisoners, who tested HIV-positive, were inmates of Dammam Central Jail.
The official said that most prisoners in Dammam are being held for drugs-related offenses.
"The prisoners who have AIDS are being put in a separate cell," the official said.
One of the four HIV carriers had cut himself and threatened to splash his infected blood over other prisoners, the paper said. "The man was then overpowered by police and given first-aid," it added.
The official also added that all persons sentenced to jail are subjected to medical checkup within 24 hours, which includes an AIDS test.
