Ongoing HIV Matter

There are many people outside the industry talking about this situation.

I got a call from a reporter today for Risk & Insurance magazine. Even those in the insurance biz are very curious as to this situation.

I'm getting some inquiries, too --it made me wonder if it was Sweeps Week for the local Network TV stations!

This is the part I don't like...

"But a single case of HIV discovered in an actress on June 6, who to date has not been responsible for any secondary infections, has nonetheless ignited a firestorm of panic in the (generally HIV-ignorant) mainstream world, egged on by the Los Angeles Department of Health Services' Dr. Jonathan Fielding and abetted by Michael Weinstein, head of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), whose organization has scheduled a protest march and rally tonight outside the Hustler Hollywood store at 8920 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood at 9 p.m. Monday evening."

Exactly right... "to date" because it may not have shown up yet in the others.

it seems that the window is 10 days per the test the models are given by the aim.

I asked the same question earlier in the other thread about the window... alot of different tests... antibodys, viral

Ernest Greene Im sure means well but a lot of his information is dated, and in fact, incorrect.

and stop with the "window period" this is a very misleading measure it CAN be as early as 10 days but nobody knows what the outer limit is on the window period for ANY of the tests, that depends on the individual. most people bay far test will test positive in less than 30 days using ANY of the methodologies

the best you could do is what blood banks do they do a viral load test, an antibody test AND an antigen test

even at that theres no guarantee if yer look for a guarantee call maytag

Per this morning's The San Diego Union-Tribune, Mike (and others):

"Region Update
County backs off on HIV/porn data
2:00 a.m. June 17, 2009

LOS ANGELES ? Los Angeles County public health officials have backtracked on the number of HIV cases in adult film performers, it was announced yesterday.

The county released data to the Los Angeles Times last week disclosing at least 16 previously unpublicized cases since 2004. The cases had been reported to the county by the Adult Industry Medical Foundation, a clinic that serves the porn industry but also has other patients. The newspaper reported yesterday the department now says the occupations of those who tested positive were unclear.

Clinic co-founder Sharon Mitchell said none of the HIV cases the county disclosed last week involved active performers. It was revealed last week that a female porn performer had recently tested HIV positive."

The LA Times addressed the LA County "error", too; maybe, to see the other side of some recent postings negative towards AIM, folks need to be more aware of the contents in link in posting 1 to this thread?

See the LA Time report Here http://www.********.com/read.php?ID=35580

See this is the kind of shit that drives me insane. The LA Times is so much more interested in selling newspapers than they are factually reporting a story. I'm not siding with AIM until I know all the facts, but it doesn't help anyone when, in their rush to print a sensational story, The La Times runs with inaccurate information, and then goes back and researches it properly. Meanwhile everyone remembers the sensational headline, and no one actually pays any attention when they print their tiny retraction...

lets get back to numbers. when you consider just how much sex happens though aim in the adult industry i wonder what the percentage is of something like this happening. I'm betting it's on pare statistically with dying in a plane crash.

At this point, I'm sorry but I just can't put my trust in them after they lied to a few people out of the gate about this. They were just going to cover it up. Knowing that, I just can't trust what they say anymore. Of course they are going to try to cover their ass at any cost at this point. They have to.

There're many people talking about this...

It might possibly be that the LA Times was quoting that doctor from the LA County Health--from the link in posting #1 above, it sounds like he's biased against AIM. Comments?

P.S. - I saw someone wearing one of your shirts at the gym the other day. I go to the Bally's in Encino.

Help! Please do me a favor and help me understand the "lie"; earlier today, I asked Mike South to let me know, but he might be away from his computer and hasn't responded yet. Thanks!

I wore his company hat on my 5-mile walk at Pacific Beach in San Diego TODAY!!!!

And, last weekend when we had a cooler evening, I wore my Video Secrets shirt (the long sleeve black one!

Dave,
Based on AIMS response to Roy, AMA Joe and the other agent calling them and asking if there was a + performer, and being told no. That is the lie I'm talking about. They tried to cover it up until the story grew too big.

They could have just said, "yes, there is a performer but we can't give their name" but they didn't. They said, "no" to a couple of people.

Where I'm from, that's a lie.

Thanks---I didn't know that the above had occured.

Who is "Roy"?

I wonder, though, since the AIM testing takes a day or two for the actual lab (AIM is not the actual lab doing the testing, rather they only draw the blood and maintain the Chain of Custody and tracking while sending it to the actual lab), if the processing time between drawing the blood, getting it and the patient documentation to the actual lab, and getting the lab results back might have been such that the delay AND/OR ANY FEDERAL/STATE REPORTING LAWS were the reason why it seemed like someone "lied" (or, wasn't aware, and made an honest mistake?); or, if the laws required that "confirmatory" test results be obtained before giving Roy and Joe and the public info---those confirmatory tests took some time to complete, right???????

hiv is dangerous

http://www.********.com/read.php?ID=35597 ---I find that portion below the "#####" in the below story of special interest. I wonder if the writer considers that LA Health Dept physician, that guy who led a 30-person demonstation outside the Larry Flynt store the other night, Mike South, right-wing radical christians to one of the "...critics of the industry"?????



Here's a copy/paste of it --the author is the same one as my posting number 1, above.

Dave
---------------------------------------------------
"6/17/2009 15:26 PM PST



Ernest Greene: And An Extra Helping of Crow for the Good Doctor



--on the web


Ernest Greene writes on http://bppa.blogspot.com/- I promised to post any new information regarding the single porn HIV case that has been engineered into a minor major news event by a series of sensational reports from Los Angeles health officials over the past week. I also challenged the claim made by said officials that there has been a much larger number of HIV cases in the porn industry than previously disclosed.

Evidently, the county has had some second thoughts regarding previous statements. I'll let today's L.A. Times tell you what they have to say now:

L.A. County backtracks on reports of porn HIV cases

Officials had reported 16 unpublicized cases of HIV-positive performers since a 2004 outbreak. But the county health director now says officials did not know if any of the 16 were performers.
By Kimi Yoshino and Rong-Gong Lin II
June 17, 2009

Los Angeles County public health officials backtracked Tuesday on their statements last week that at least 16 unpublicized cases of HIV in adult film performers had been reported to them since 2004.

Despite their release of data to The Times describing the cases as "adult film performers," the county's top health official acknowledged that the agency does not know whether any of those people were actively working as porn performers at the time of their positive test.

Health officials also corrected upward, from 16 to 18, the total number of new cases reported by the Adult Industry Medical Foundation, a San Fernando Valley-based clinic that serves the porn industry, since a 2004 HIV outbreak and the revelation last week that a female porn performer had tested HIV positive.

County public health officials said they had mislabeled all reports from the AIM clinic as adult performers when, in fact, information about their occupation is unclear. Although the clinic was created primarily to serve the porn industry, it serves other clients.

"We have no information on these individuals," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's health officer. "All we have is the number from AIM."

Sharon Mitchell, the clinic's co-founder, told The Times this week that none of the HIV cases cited by the county involved active performers.

"Here's the bottom line: We're an HIV testing center," Mitchell said. "We don't just test the adult entertainment industry. We have a lot of people who come who want testing from the general public."

Mitchell said all previously unpublicized cases involved either a non-performer or an aspiring actor or actress who tested positive, then dropped out of the business.

She said the female actress who tested positive for HIV at their clinic earlier this month remains the only case detected in a working performer since 2004. At that time, a male porn star and three actresses with whom he had performed all tested HIV positive. An unrelated transsexual performer also tested HIV positive the same year. The cases shut down production in Southern California's multibillion-dollar porn industry for a month.

Fielding said Tuesday that the county did little investigation of any of the post-2004 cases and have few details about the individuals, their partners or how they may have been infected. Mitchell, whose clinic settled a breach of privacy lawsuit brought by Darren James, the porn star at the center of the 2004 outbreak, said she could not release names or information because of privacy laws.

Fielding said the county lacks sufficient information to delve deeply into the cases and still has received no formal report on the most recent case.

"The system we have and the laws we have do not facilitate the kind of contact tracing and verification that we'd like to see," Fielding said. "AIDS has been treated separately from other STDs."

State laws allow the county to make partner notification for diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. In HIV cases, the responsibility for notification rests with the medical clinic or doctor, not the county, Fielding said. Clinic officials said the woman had two recent male sexual partners, who in turn had six additional partners between them. All so far have tested HIV negative, according to the clinic.

Fielding said the rate of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea among adult performers is high and that any cases of HIV are to be taken seriously.

"Is what's being done better than nothing? Absolutely," Fielding said of the voluntary testing conducted by the porn industry. "Is it what should be done and what is required in today's world of occupational safety? Absolutely not. . . . To have, in 2009, an occupational hazard that's preventable and subjects individuals to life-threatening diseases is outrageous."

#####

Though the indefatigable Dr. Fielding did manage to throw in a parting slam at the current system of protecting the adult talent pool, he had to grudgingly admit that it was "better than nothing," which is what we'd most likely end up with if his desired approach were to prevail. You will note that Fielding no longer claims that AIM failed to report new cases as required. AIM complied with the law in this regard, as it always has.

The bottom line is that his department told a whopper, repeated it several times then, most likely under pressure from their lawyers, had to eat it.

What this says about the credibility of this source regarding other matters I leave to the judgment of readers.

More news as it breaks. I have reason to believe that some of that news may prove even more surprising to critics of the industry."

Posted this afternoon on www.********.com (I wonder if the guy is question is the same one which Mike South talked to about AIM "Threatening him with legal action" if he disclosed medical info; or, if it's the other guy on the quarantine list:

Here's a copy/paste of this afternoons posting"

--------------------------------------------------

"Someone on the Quarantine List breaking Quarantine?



--on the web


Scott Fayner writes on www.scottfayner.com - this is no joke, and it should be cause for a lot of concern for performers in this industry. It should also give more rise to the outrage over AIM protecting people.

A very popular, well known performer was contacted by someone ON THE QUARANTINE LIST and asked to shoot a scene.

Here’s the kicker, the person KNEW they were on the quarantine list yet still called to ask about shooting a scene!!!

The person who this happened to is about to discuss it on their blog, we’ll post it word for word!"

-----------------------------------

dave

Posted this afternoon on www.********.com (I wonder if the guy is question is the same one which Mike South talked to about AIM "Threatening him with legal action" if he disclosed medical info; or, if it's the other guy on the quarantine list:

Here's a copy/paste of this afternoons posting"

--------------------------------------------------

"Someone on the Quarantine List breaking Quarantine?



--on the web


Scott Fayner writes on www.scottfayner.com - this is no joke, and it should be cause for a lot of concern for performers in this industry. It should also give more rise to the outrage over AIM protecting people.

A very popular, well known performer was contacted by someone ON THE QUARANTINE LIST and asked to shoot a scene.

Here?s the kicker, the person KNEW they were on the quarantine list yet still called to ask about shooting a scene!!!

The person who this happened to is about to discuss it on their blog, we?ll post it word for word!"

-----------------------------------

dave

Is the State of CA on Firm Ground?

Here's an update; and, approx 50 % down the article is a blog entry from a knowledgeable insider.

http://www.********.com/read.php?ID=35626

im surprised it hasn't leaked out who it is.

Lots of information in this thread. Thanks Dave and everyone! Glad I don't hire models anymore.

worse lots of names floating around obviously only 1 is a real name

Wow, I gotta start giving out more of them.... The hats with the logo on it is what most people ask for... Thanks for telling me...

I'm very sure the misinformation and later retraction are carefully planned.

This is going to cost us a LOT more then people yet realize.

Dave, as you know better than I, in this business, anything is possible.

I would have to go back and look at the time line of all that posting. It is all in the first thread regarding this topic, 10 or so pages of it, but watch the first few pages, that is when people were calling AIM and being told there was not a problem.


That is just insane but pretty much sums up the vast majority (not all) of the people in this industry. They just don't care.

You know, I also have to question this back tracking from the LA Times or Health Department. That just doesn't add up either. Perhaps they stepped too far into something, violated some code and set themselves up for a potential law suit?

Regardless, it's all a mess and should be yet another wake-up call for this industry that you can get sick in this business, even if testing at AIM.

DWB, in a posting today on www.********.com citing the LA Times, it ( http://www.********.com/read.php?ID=35635 ) says that

".....She performed June 5, a day after testing at the AIM clinic, despite lacking a negative HIV test within 30 days, which the industry calls for under its voluntary guidelines. Her test came back HIV positive June 6."

I STILL don't know ANY of the names!

a walking talking billboard you are

Send me one...

I agree.... We havent seen the fallout from this yet.

As the actual facts surface, I sense that even some of the posters on recent/related GFY threads might wish they had held off on some of their comments (perhaps even me?)!

Honestly Dave, it will be business as usual in no time at all. In fact, note the boards, hardly anyone is even talking about it anymore and it's only been what, a week?

Porn forgives everyone no matter how big a criminal, fuck up, drug addict, woman beater, slacker, liar or true professional you are. You can say anything and do anything and be welcomed back into the industry with open arms.

Sad but true.