A prosecutor is investigating whether a western Pennsylvania county jail inmate infected with hepatitis C spit or blew his nose into food served to more than 200 guards and other staff.
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck has confirmed the investigation of the unnamed inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Wednesday that informants reported the inmate's actions before he later tested positive for the serious liver infection.
Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman Holli Senior says the risk of infection through the inmate's saliva is low. But Sheriff Jonathan Held, who chairs the county's prison board, says ``it's best to err on the side of caution.''
The county has yet to decide whether to have the guards and other employees tested for the infection.
