by MATTHEW HAYS

Pierre Belair didn't even know what hit him. Several years ago, he told his physician he was occasionally feeling unwell. The odd headache, he reported, but he didn't think it was anything serious. After some blood tests, however, his doctor told him he had been infected with hepatitis B, and was a chronic sufferer - and carrier.

Belair says having relationships since then has been difficult, to say the least. Most people who contract hep B recover, but since Belair is a chronic sufferer, there is no cure for him. And he can infect others - as a result, he only feels comfortable having sex with someone after asking them if they've been inoculated yet.

But after discussing his sadness over the fact that so many gay and bisexual men still have not had their hep shots with local activist Kat Coric, the two settled on a plan of action. This fall, in conjunction with Club Parking and Montreal's anti-HIV group Action Séro-Zéro, the city will have its first Hepatitis Inoculation parties.

It may sound like an odd reason to have a party, but Séro-Zéro spokesperson Stéphane Cadieux says too many gay and bisexual men still don't know how easy getting inoculated for hepatitis A and B is now. Though the provincial government has been paying for hepatitis B inoculations for gay and bisexual men since '94, the shot used to involve three rounds of shots over a nine-month period. Now, the three shots can be administered over two weeks apart, and the shots are good for both hep A and B.

"We've already been giving inoculations like this in certain clubs and bars, particularly the ones where we know there is prostitution," says Cadieux. "But we've never done anything on this scale."

Coric says she got the idea from Dr. Chris Mann, a Dallas-based physician who had organized a hepatitis inoculation party there in February that had proven very successful.

"We've decided on a M*A*S*H motif," says Coric. "The theme will be very military, complete with tents and cots and army uniforms. Physicians will be present to make sure everything is done properly."

Cadieux says the hope is that as many as 500 gay and bisexual men will be immune to both hep A and B by the third and final party. He says that there isn't currently a wave of hep infection in the gay community, but that every few years one does sweep through the city. Though not necessarily fatal, hepatitis can do severe damage to the liver and can lead to cirrhosis, which often is fatal. Obviously, for those who are HIV+ and have compromised immune systems, the risks surrounding hepatitis infection are considerably more serious.

"At Séro Zéro, our main focus has been stopping people from getting HIV," says Cadieux. "But hepatitis is a risk to the overall health of gay men in Montreal."

The Hepatitis Inoculation Parties will be held
on Nov. 7, 21 and Dec. 5. For more information, call Action Séro Zéro at 521-7778 ext. 26