APHSS Meeting with L.A. County Health Official Confirms 9 Adult Performers May Have Tested Positive for Syphilis
CANOGA PARK, Calif. – After a meeting yesterday with L.A. County Public Health (LACPH) officials, Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Diane Duke and Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) representatives have received confirmation that nine as-yet-unidentified adult performers have tested positive for syphilis.
Dr. Peter Kerndt, who is the Director of STI Programs for the County, informed Duke of the positive test results for adult performers. However, he refused to share any of the patient information with APHSS doctors, saying only that they had been reported to the County.
Kerndt also confirmed that the point of origin for the syphilis exposures has not been identified. According to Duke, only one of the two performers confirmed as positive through APHSS is part of group of nine identified by LACPH; presumably, performer Mr. Marcus, who has since gone public with positive syphilis test results. Kerndt indicated that there were positive tests for performers that likely preceded Mr. Marcus’ positive test.
Since the other of the two positive results (confirmed by APHSS) occurred outside of the state of California this would mean that, between LACPH findings and the findings of APHSS, there could be up to ten performers total that may have tested positive for syphilis.
“This latest development only confirms the need for APHSS.org as a single, comprehensive source of performer data for adult production. Had the first performer who tested positive for syphilis been reported by their healthcare provider in a timely manner to APHSS, partner notification and positive performer separation would have occurred quickly enough to reduce the likelihood of transmission and perhaps the need for a moratorium,” Duke said after the meeting.
At one point during yesterday’s meeting, the APHSS doctor was asked by Dr. Kerndt to hand over patient records - including production records - for the two performers that tested positive for syphilis, as well as patient records for all performers that have tested and received treatment for syphilis through APHSS since the production moratorium was called. Both Duke and the APHSS doctor, present at the meeting, refused to comply with this request citing respect for patient privacy.
In line with APHSS.org protocols, as well as state and local regulations, all testing facilities affiliated with APHSS.org have and will report any positive STI test results to the county health department.
“Performer privacy is a top priority for APHSS,” Duke said. “We will cooperate as much as possible with County Health officials - but only with the permission of these affected individuals, if they would like to come forward. If those individuals choose to release their information to the County, either through their medical providers or direct communication, that is their decision. APHSS providers are expected to, and do, fulfill all reporting requirements to the County. We hope to facilitate a cooperative working environment with County health officials, but will not compromise performer patient privacy.” |
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Update on Performers Confirmed Positive for Syphilis
CANOGA PARK, Calif. – Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) has received confirmation that now two performers have tested positive for syphilis. This information was received only after both performers came forward voluntarily to share information with APHSS.org, in order to cooperate with industry protocols for STI exposure incidents. The second positive result was on the gay side of the industry, not tested or residing in the state of California and is completely unrelated to the first case. It is also interesting to note that the performer in the second case exclusively works on condom-only sets.
“Partner identification is underway and APHSS will ensure that all partners are tested and treated,” said Diane Duke, FSC Executive Director. “We encourage anyone else who may have tested positive for syphilis to contact us.”
HIPAA regulations prevent any identifying information to be released regarding these individuals.
It should be noted that while APHSS.org has only two confirmed cases, the Los Angeles Public County Health (LACPH) Department Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding has been quoted in the media, stating that there may be up to nine confirmed cases reported to county health officials, which are being investigated.
In fact, LACPH and Talent Testing Services (TTS), where these individuals presumably tested, are not obligated to share information or patient data with APHSS.org Though APHSS.org has reached out to TTS and Dr. Fielding, they have not responded. Without the affected individuals coming forward on their own - or at the request of TTS or LACPH - APHSS does not have any information regarding these alleged positive cases.
It should also be noted that the “window period” for a standard RPR (syphilis) test is 90 days. Without identifying information, APHSS.org is unable to determine when these unidentified individuals may have been infected or if they may have been working while infected.
That said, APHSS.org made the decision to err of the side of caution. After consulting with doctors, including Cutting Edge Testing and infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Miao, prophylactic treatment, follow-up testing, as well as adding syphilis to the traditional performer’s monthly test panel was chosen as the best alternative for reassuring the performers of safety, in case of possible exposure.
If you have questions or require more information about the current situation, APHSS.org or treatment/testing option, please contact
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Update on Production Moratorium, Performer Testing
CANOGA PARK, Calif. - As a result of a performer testing positive for syphilis, APHSS providers are administering the standard RPR syphilis test that is approved by the FDA for preliminary diagnosis. A negative test does NOT mean the performer is approved to work. It is important to note that this test has a large window period — as much as 90 days — and therefore cannot be relied upon to diagnose an acute (recent) syphilis infection. More importantly, a person with an acute infection can be contagious and still test negative. We cannot rely on these tests alone to determine a performer’s availability to work. This test only provides our doctors a baseline from which to base further testing or treatment options.
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has called a temporary moratorium on production and asks that all producers honor this moratorium.
Syphilis is easily treatable—it requires treatment with antibiotics. APHSS’ doctors network has determined that prophylactic treatment for syphilis for all performers is warranted. The shots have been ordered from the pharmacy and within the next couple of days, APHSS.org will have set up a network of medical professionals to administer the shots. Locations for performers to get the shots will be announced by tomorrow, August 21. Once the performer receives antibiotics, he or she will be available to work within 10 days.
Finally, our doctor’s network is speaking with expert microbiologists to determine if there is a test that can be utilized to identify the presence of an acute infection of syphilis. If such a test exists, this test will be administered when the performer comes in for prophylactic treatment, in order to provide additional information.
Manwin has agreed to cover cost of the shots for performers. Other producers contributing to cover the cost of treatment include, Evil Angel, Girlfriend Films, Kink.com, Vivid Pictures, and Gamma Entertainment. Still more producers are offering to contribute – this is an industry-wide effort by producers to ensure the safety of the performers. We greatly appreciate the cooperation and contributions of involved parties at this time.
“I always appreciate how our industry comes together in a time of need,” said FSC Executive Director Diane Duke. “Clearly our industry’s priority is the health and well-being of our performers. Thank you to all of the producers who have and will contribute and thanks to all of you for honoring the moratorium.”
The APHSS.org (Adult Production Health & Safety Services) program is operated by FSC. For more information on APHSS.org, please contact
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FSC Calls for a Temporary Moratorium on Production Nationwide
CANOGA PARK, Calif. - A performer who tested positive for syphilis has been in touch with FSC and is meeting with FSC’s medical professionals to begin partner identification, evaluation and treatment. FSC has called a temporary moratorium on production until the risk to performers in the industry has been properly assessed and all performers have been tested.
APHSS’ doctors have met and discussed the best avenue to protect the performers and have determined that testing the entire population is the most prudent strategy. A determination will be made by the doctors on the appropriate time to lift the moratorium as more information is revealed.
FSC encourages any performer who may have tested positive for syphilis to contact FSC’s Executive Director, Diane Duke at
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or 818-348-9373 and FSC will make sure the performer receives immediate medical support including confidential partner identification and treatment.
FSC will provide daily updates on the situation to the industry through press releases and our APHSS blog http://blog.aphss.org/. |
APHSS Announces September’s Scheduled Syphilis Program for Testing to Start Immediately
CANOGA PARK, Calif. – Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) has announced that the semi-annual syphilis testing program scheduled for September will instead begin immediately and run through the end of September.
The action follows recent unsubstantiated rumors of a syphilis incident among adult performers. Due to concerns raised by performers and producers, and with a desire to provide optimal care, APHSS.org made the decision to launch the program immediately, in order to alleviate any further concerns. The Center for Disease control, the National Institute of Health and the Department of Public Health recommend testing for syphilis only once a year and for highly sexually-active populations twice a year. Originally, the syphilis testing program was scheduled for the months of September and March.
“Though there has been no confirmation of these rumors, we have heard the concerns of producers and performers, and their well-being is our primary concern,” said FSC Executive Director Diane Duke. “By launching the program early, performers can go to APHSS-recommended testing facilities and get tested for syphilis for free, along with their regular performer tests panel.”
The testing facilities that will offer free syphilis testing through the end of September include Cutting Edge Testing, SameDayTest.com (AMTC), and STDStatus.com. Contact information for these facilities can be found at the APHSS.org website. https://aphss.org/performer-info
While there has been no confirmation of any syphilis infections in the U.S. performer population, APHSS policy dictates pro-active procedures to ensure that industry self-regulation protocols are observed. Any cases of syphilis tested within the system would follow those protocols, which includes partner identification.
Center for Disease Control guidelines for syphilis can be found at this link: http://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.htm.
Syphilis is treatable. Early detection of syphilis is the key to fast, effective treatment with antibiotics. Individuals that may have had syphilis previously and been treated should be aware that antibodies created by the infection may trigger a “false positive” result and, in those cases, confirmatory tests must be administered to confirm any possible active infection. Any extra tests may take additional days to complete.
If you have questions or need more information about syphilis testing or APHSS.org, please contact
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