This is typical of the mainstream press doing a hatchet job on the adult industry. ABC’s artwork for this story runs the word “AIDS” boldly along with the AIM logo:

www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Business/story?id=7814476&page=1

Porn Valley- A Southern California porn actress has tested positive for HIV, reigniting concerns that the adult entertainment industry is not protecting talent from the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

While initial HIV tests of the woman’s partners came up negative, the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that handles HIV and STD testing and treatment for people who work in the porn industry, said the actors are not working and are being encouraged to test again in two weeks.

This case is the first publicly confirmed HIV infection in the industry in Southern California since 2004, when an HIV outbreak shut down porn production industry-wide for a month. At that time, actor Darren James returned from a work trip to Brazil and infected three actresses. More than 50 actors were placed on voluntary work quarantine until they were cleared.

There has been no similar production shutdown announced since the latest news of the unidentified actress’s positive HIV test became public.

In a statement posted on the adult industry Web site AVN.com, AIM founder Sharon Mitchell said this scenario is different because the actress worked infrequently and had not worked with a large number of partners.

“There has been a person who has tested positive. There were exceptionally few partners, inside and outside the industry. All partners are currently testing negative and in adult employment quarantine. All required reporting has been complied with, as have the AIM and industry protocols. The investigation is ongoing. This is not a major event,” Mitchell said, according to AVN.

Mitchell said the woman and all the actors who have worked with her have been quarantined.

Dean Fryer, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesperson, said he’s not sure the adult film industry safety guidelines his organization helped define are being followed. In particular, he voiced concerns that condoms are not used.

“I’m concerned that a lot of producers are not using condoms or using film techniques so as to film a simulation rather than a sexual act,” Fryer said. “That troubles me.”

Fryer said Cal/Osha is currently identifying the infected woman and her employer in an attempt to understand whether production on the actress’s films was performed in a safe manner. He said the Los Angeles public health department is also conducting an investigation.