Porn Shutdown Over Syphilis Outbreak Confirmed (UPDATED)
The Huffington Post
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By Anna Almendrala
Posted: 08/20/2012 1:31 pm Updated: 08/20/2012 8:06 pm
Adult Production Health & Safety Services, a resource for actors in the adult film industry, first sounded the alarm Thursday in a blog post about "recent unsubstantiated rumors of a syphilis incident among adult performers." Because of the rumors, APHSS opened up their semi-annual syphilis testing immediately instead holding off until the original September date.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department confirmed the small cluster of positive syphilis tests to the Los Angeles Times the next day. Peter Kerndt, director of the county’s Sexually Transmitted Disease programs, told the Times that the department had received at least five cases in the last week, and are working to pinpoint the original source.
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“Whenever there is a cluster like that it may be the tip of the iceberg,” Kerndt said to the Times. “It is a concern. It is a serious health risk to workers in this industry.”
APHSS has since called for a temporary moratorium on adult film production until all performers get tested for syphilis, and the non-profit AIDS Healthcare Foundation is also expected to hold a news conference Monday morning in response to the possible outbreak. The organization is expected to say that the current system of frequent testing and self-policing doesn't do enough to prevent STD outbreaks, reports ABC-7.
AHF is an advocacy group known for leading the charge to collect 371,000 signatures for a ballot measure mandating condom use in porn films. Come November, LA county voters will decide whether or not film permits should be tied to the use of condoms during sex scenes.
Statewide among the general population, syphilis rates are on the rise, according to a report from the California Department of Public Health. Syphilis infection rates jumped by 18 percent from 2010 to 2011, and there was also a five percent increase in chlamydia and 1.5 percent increase in gonorrhea cases.
Syphilis is a bacterial STD that initially manifests itself in sores or sometimes presents no symptoms. If the infection isn't treated immediately, people who have syphilis can go on to suffer rashes and lesions, hair loss and flu-like symptoms like muscle aches, fevers, sore throats and fatigue. Without treatment, syphilis could last for years and go on to damage internal organs and cause stillbirths. If caught early, the infection is easily treated with antibiotics such as penicillin.
The best way to prevent contracting syphilis is to refrain from having sex with an infected person. Condoms can decrease the risk, but only if the affected areas are covered by the latex, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
UPDATE: Adult filmmakers are shutting down porn production nationwide in response to the outbreak of syphilis cases, announced the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
In a press conference Monday, Mark McGrath of AHF brought up the possibility that the infection came from European porn shoots, reports KTLA.
"There's strong evidence to indicate that syphilis has started in Europe from European shoots and now has come over to the United States, exposing our community, exposing our citizens," said McGrath.
Porn production could be suspended for weeks.
The film production moratorium won't affect LA-based Vivid Entertainment immediately. "Our next production is scheduled for mid-September," said founder and CEO Steven Hirsch to the Huffington Post. "We'll make a decision based on events at that time."
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