State authorities detected 130 cases of Hepatitis C among Mexicali prisoners, the state Department of Public Health said.

La Voz newspaper reported that patients can have the illness for up to a decade without symptoms.

Hepatitis coordinator Ramon Enrique Arvizu said the state has a program that seeks to address the illness with highly effective treatment.

The state launched an outreach effort in order to detect patients with Hepatitis C, including health centers, shopping malls and other sites like rehabilitation centers and prisons.

Arvizu said the agency has launched a strategy to make sure prisoners comply with treatment even if released from prison.

Statewide the agency has identified 358 prisoners with Hepatitis C. If not treated the illness can develop in liver cancer, he said.