Pornography companies closed following HIV scare

According to media reports, five California-based pornography companies have been shut down indefinitely after an actor allegedly tested positive for HIV. The test results were recently released by the Adult Industry Medical (AIM) Healthcare Foundation, which is a sexually transmitted diseases (STD) screening clinic that treats pornographic actors and actresses, CBSNews.com reports.

The name of the affected individual has not been released, but performers who have had unprotected sex with the actor have been contacted and underwent screenings. None of them tested positive for HIV.

While the testing center must keep screening results private as part of a contract with their patients and the pornography industry, the AIM was recently under investigation after a list of performers and their STD status was released online.

People who engage in unprotected sex may be putting themselves a greater risk of contracting an STD. Those who are concerned about their sexual health, and would like to keep test results private, can benefit from purchasing online testing services.

Each year, an estimated 19 million new STD infections are diagnosed in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.