California: HIV Tests Negative for Porn Actors Who Performed With "Patient Zero"

HIV tests conducted on the co-workers of an adult-film actor diagnosed with the virus in October have discovered no new infections, the co-founder of Vivid Entertainment told the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

"We can confirm that all performers who have been tested as a result of being exposed have tested negative," said Steven Hirsch of Vivid, one of several adult-film companies that temporarily suspended filming after reports of the infection.

The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM), which primarily serves the industry, reported the diagnosis. Upon discovering the case, AIM created a quarantine list of performers who had worked with the HIV-positive actor.

AIM would not tell Hirsch how many people are on the quarantine list or how many first-generation and second-generation exposures there are "due to confidentiality," he said. Hirsh said he will wait for final test results from one of the first-generation performers before Vivid starts filming again.

"We are just being super-cautious," Hirsch said. "We are certainly encouraged by today's news. We feel very confident that this has been contained."

AIM staff did not return phone calls Friday. A Los Angeles County Department of Public Health spokesperson said that agency had no new information.

While saying he was "certainly glad that no one else appears to be infected," Ged Kenslea, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, added that this is not the time to "let the industry off the hook for irresponsible behavior." AHF is calling for mandatory condom use on porn sets.

Back to other news for October 2010