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Porn Shoots Resume after Performers Test Negative for HIV
A performer on the set of 'The Sex Files 2: A Dark XXX Parody' (more SFW photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist
A performer on the set of 'The Sex Files 2: A Dark XXX Parody' (more SFW photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist
About a month after an adult industry performer had tested positive for HIV, prompting a quarantine for some actors, things are getting back to normal. Adult Industry Medical Healthcare today said two generations of partners of the HIV-positive patient, known as Patient Zeta, have tested negative in a variety of tests, according to XBIZ. AIM said the patient received the virus through personal activity.
“This event affirms the efficacy of AIM Healthcare Foundation’s testing protocols, as voluntarily implemented by the adult entertainment industry,” the healthcare nonprofit said in a press release. “It is regrettable but inevitable that people continue to acquire the HIV virus in their personal life. The protocols and other industry practices have resulted in only one incident of HIV transmission on set in more than a decade. That is a remarkable record. AIM Healthcare Foundation is proud of its contribution to the health and well-being of the adult industry and wider community.”
But at least five performers have tested positive for HIV since 2004, although they may have not been a result of "on set" activity.
"In 2004, a male porn star, Darren James, contracted HIV and spread the virus to three female performers before it was detected," said the LA Times. "The outbreak shut down porn production for a month. Last year, a female performer who rarely worked tested HIV-positive but no other cases were detected among performers."
A handful of production companies that halted shoots last month are beginning to get back on schedule, but the controversy over not using condoms on set will likely continue.
Dr. Jonathan E Fielding, who heads up L.A. County's Public Health Department said, AIM has yet to confirm their statements with his agency. "We’ve always asked AIM to share the information with us to ensure that all the individuals who should be tested are tested, and we don’t have that information," he told the Times. "If, in fact, they have used the right tests and done everything they say they have done, it's good news for the people who were contacts, but it doesn't reduce the risks. To have somebody work in a situation where they are forced to do things that put others at risk for life-threatening diseases is very disturbing."
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