LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a Press Teleconference TODAY, Thursday, February 11th at 1:30pm Pacific Time to discuss breaking news today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed an on-set transmission of HIV in the adult film industry from performer to performer in late 2014. In a comprehensive analysis published earlier today in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC confirms details of a 2014 California Department of Public Health (CDPH) investigation confirming an on-set HIV transmission in the adult film industry that occurred in late 2014.
On December 29, 2014, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released an Occupational Health Alert titled, “Occupational HIV Transmission in the Adult Entertainment Film Industry.” According to the CDPH Occupational Health Alert, “A male adult entertainment actor obtained a test for HIV that was negative. Over the following two-week period, the actor had unprotected sex with several other male actors during two separate film shoots. During the second film shoot, he had symptoms of a viral infection. The actor went to a clinic and had another blood test that showed he had recently become infected with HIV. The local public health department initiated follow-up with the sexual contacts of this actor. Thus far, one of the male actors from the second film shoot has tested newly positive for HIV. Public health investigation and laboratory results provide very strong evidence that the actor transmitted HIV to the other actor as a result of unprotected sex during the film shoot.” (Source: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohb/Documents/OccHIVinAFI.pdf)
| WHAT: | PRESS TELECONFERENCE | |
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CDC confirms on-set HIV transmission in the adult film industry in 2014; publishes detailed investigation in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Feb. 12, 2016 issue |
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| WHEN: |
Thursday, February 11th 1:30pm Pacific Time |
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Teleconference Dial in information: +1.877.411.9748 participant code #7134323 |
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WHO: |
-- Sofia Delgado, former adult film performer who became HIV positive while working in the industry in 2013 |
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-- Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, President |
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-- Adam Cohen, Public Health Consultant, AHF |
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AHF CONTACT: |
Ged Kenslea, (323) 791-5526 cell; (323) 308-1833 office |
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According to new, detailed information published Friday, February 5, 2016 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6505a3.htm?s_cid=mm6505a3_e), the first performer mentioned in the CDPH Occupational Health Alert had a negative APTIMA HIV-1 RNA qualitative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) within 14 days before filming for two adult film studios. This NAAT was conducted at an adult film industry-approved testing facility. The first performer performed in two adult film productions nine and 11 days after receiving the negative NAAT. The first performer had unprotected sex with six male performers per adult film production. One of the performers that had unprotected sex with the first performer experienced symptoms consistent with acute HIV infection four days after performing with the first performer and was diagnosed with acute HIV infection 18 days after the shoot. One non-work related sexual partner of the first performer experienced symptoms of acute HIV infection 15 days after sexual contact and was diagnosed with acute HIV infection.
According to the MMWR:
- “Patient A had testing with NAAT <14 days before filming, as recommended by a leading industry trade group, with negative results. However, patient A’s acute retroviral syndrome onset occurred 10 days after his NAAT and he engaged in condomless insertive and receptive oral, and insertive anal sex with patient B as directed by the production company.”
- “Because follow-up testing has not been reported for some sexual partners of patient A, and patient A did not reveal the names of all of his sexual contacts, this report might underestimate the extent of HIV transmission in this cluster.”
- “However, as demonstrated here and previously among heterosexual adult film performers (2), testing alone is not sufficient to prevent occupational HIV transmission.”
The new information published today in the MMWR report demonstrates that the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry producers’ trade group, lies about its Performer Availability Screening Services (PASS) testing scheme and about HIV transmission in the adult film industry:
1. The FSC claims, “The shoots in question did not adhere to the PASS testing protocols...” However, according to the MMWR report, the first performer had a negative HIV test within 14 days before filming, which complies with their own PASS testing protocols.
2. The FSC claims the first performer’s HIV test did not “…utilize the PASS database.” However, according to the MMWR report, the first performer’s initial HIV test was conducted at a PASS-approved testing facility, which utilizes the PASS database.
3. The FSC claims the first performer’s HIV test “…fell below the standard set by PASS protocols, including the use of an ELISA HIV tests, rather than the highly sensitive RNA tests required by the industry.” However, according to the MMWR report, the first performer tested using the APTIMA HIV-1 RNA qualitative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which is the standard HIV test set by PASS testing protocols.
“PASS failed,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), referring to the industry’s HIV and STD testing protocol. “And sadly as a result, another individual working in the adult industry is now infected. For years adult film producers have claimed that their testing program works and that performers who tested HIV-positive while working in the industry did not contract HIV at work, but became infected through exposure in their personal lives away from adult film sets. Today’s report from the CDC puts truth to that industry lie. California health officials vetted these performers’ blood samples with the CDC and the CDC determined conclusively after genetic sequencing including genotyping and phenotyping that this HIV infection did, in fact, occur on set.”
Previously the adult film industry has only conceded that it has had three confirmed on–set transmissions: In 2004 after a male performer who had worked in adult films in South America returned to the U.S. and resumed filming adult films in Los Angeles—subsequently infecting three female partners on set.
However, since 2004 there have been numerous other cases of performers testing HIV-positive while working in California’s porn industry, including cases in 2010 (Derrick Burts) and 2013 (Cameron Bay, Rod Daily & Sofia Delgado). However, despite the largest-ever OSHA fines levied against the adult film industry in the Cameron Bay case, porn producers continued the spin that these individuals did not contract HIV on set in the industry, but in their personal lives as the industry continued to rely on its flawed testing protocol.
About the MMWR: “The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Often called ‘the voice of CDC,’ the MMWR series is the agency’s primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. MMWR readership predominantly consists of physicians, nurses, public health practitioners, epidemiologists and other scientists, researchers, educators, and laboratorians. The data in the weekly MMWR are provisional, based on weekly reports to CDC by state health departments.” (Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/about.html)
About the CDPH: “The California Department of Public Health is dedicated to optimizing the health and well-being of the people in California.” (Source: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/AboutUs.aspx)
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 380,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare
