March 10, 2008
Two inmates’ deaths investigated amid massive flu outbreak
Prison officials in Blythe are investigating whether the deaths of two inmates are related to a flu outbreak that has sickened nearly 550 prisoners in less than a month.
Chuckawalla Valley State Prison is in lockdown and accepting no more inmates, but Riverside County health officials said Friday that the flu outbreak at the facility near the California-Arizona state line does not pose a health hazard to nearby communities.
This may be the most severe flu outbreak in the history of the state prison system, said Department of Corrections spokesman Terry Thornton. Earlier this year, a flu outbreak affected 200 inmates at a prison in Susanville in Northern California, Thornton said.
LINK - PE.com (Press-Enterprise)
