Calif. to probe latest HIV case in porn industry

Calif. to probe latest HIV case in porn industry
Jun. 13, 2009 9:33 AM ET (AP)By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
State health officials are looking into the latest HIV case reported in California's multibillion-dollar porn industry, fearing that reckless practices on film sets might be raising the risk of new infections.
It was revealed this week that a woman tested positive for HIV immediately after making an adult film. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is attempting to identify the filmmaker, at which point a formal investigation would begin.
"Our concern is that we need to quickly get to the employer so that we can work with them to change their practices to ensure the proper safety measures are being taken to prevent the additional spread of HIV," agency spokesman Dean Fryer said.
The actress's positive result was reported by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, which declined to reveal her name.
Known in the industry as AIM, the organization tests hundreds of actors each month in the San Fernando Valley, where the U.S. porn industry is headquartered. It grants those who pass certificates allowing them to work.
Los Angeles County health officials say there have been 22 confirmed HIV cases in industry performers since 2004.


Although the co-stars of the woman involved in the latest case have tested negative, they have been quarantined from acting for the time being and advised to be retested in two weeks because medical experts say it takes almost that long for a person to show signs of infection.
"All required reporting has been complied with," the foundation said in a statement Thursday on its Web site. "This is not a major event."
Fryer said the foundation has not cooperated with state investigators in previous cases, citing privacy laws. Foundation officials did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday.
Government health officials say they are dubious about safe-sex practices on adult film sets, despite assurances from the industry. Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health, said there are "persistent reports" about risky behavior.
Regulations require filmmakers to provide protection against the transmission of disease, such as condoms or using film techniques that involve simulations.
"There is no reason these infections should be occurring if these employers are following these precautions," Fryer said.
After an HIV outbreak in 2004 spread panic through the industry and briefly shut down production at several studios, many producers began making condoms a requirement. But they said both actors and audiences quickly rebelled.
"What happened was the talent didn't want to use condoms," said Steven Hirsch, co-Chief Executive of Vivid Entertainment Group, one of the industry's largest filmmakers. "As a result, we decided to go condom optional."
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Associated Press writer John Rogers contributed to this report.

HIV and Swine Flu combining to form a super disease?

I'M SKEPTICAL, BUT I FOUND THIS ARTICLE TO BE VERY INTERESTING. READ IT, AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK?!
Source: Reuters
* HIV patients at high risk from flu, need antivirals most
* WHO fears complications if HIV and H1N1 viruses combine
(Adds background on HIV, seasonal influenza, antivirals)
By Laura MacInnis
GENEVA, May 2 (Reuters) - People with HIV are at high risk from the new flu strain that the World Health Organisation said is on the verge of a pandemic, the WHO said on Saturday.
The United Nations agency said people with immunodeficiency diseases -- including the AIDS virus -- will most likely be vulnerable to health complications from the H1N1 strain, as they are from regular seasonal flu, which kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people a year.
HIV and the new flu strain could also mix together in a dangerous way, as has occurred with HIV and tuberculosis, the WHO said in guidance for health workers on its website.
"Although there are inadequate data to predict the impact of a possible human influenza pandemic on HIV-affected populations, interactions between HIV/AIDS and A(H1N1) influenza could be significant," it said.
"HIV-infected persons should be considered as a high risk and a priority population for preventive and therapeutic strategies against influenza including emerging influenza A(H1N1) virus infection," it said.
The virus widely known as "swine flu" has been most severe in Mexico, where government authorities say it has killed more than 100 people, and caused more mild symptoms as it spread around the world to countries including the United States, Austria, Israel, New Zealand and South Korea. [L2430119]
Although the outbreak remains tiny in scale compared to other epidemics such as malaria, hepatitis, and meningitis, the WHO has raised its pandemic alert level to 5 out of 6 due to its rapid spread as well as the possibility that the flu could cause more devastation in poor and disease-prone communities.
Countries with high rates of HIV -- most of which are in Africa -- should work to ensure that vulnerable people get the drugs they need to fight off the flu infection, the WHO said.
Antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza decrease the duration of virus excretion and the severity of illness when used for treatment of ill patients, and may also prevent illness when used for prophylaxis.
"Patients at higher risk for complications of influenza including those with HIV infection should be among those prioritised for antiviral treatment with oseltamivir or zanamivir which shortens illness duration and severity in seasonal influenza," the WHO guidance read.
It is best if people infected with the flu strain start to take the antivirals within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, according to the WHO. There are no known problems with taking those drugs alongside the anti-retrovirals that HIV patients take to suppress their virus.
According to WHO estimates, there are 33 million people infected with immune-weakening HIV worldwide. (For the full WHO guidance for HIV patient care, see: http://www.who.int/hiv/mediacentre/influenza_hiv.pdf) (For a factbox on global diseases, click on [ID:nL2430119]) (For more Reuters swine flu coverage, please click here: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/swineflu ) news ## for search indexer, do not remove -->