LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Performer Availability Screening Service (PASS) has announced the organization “has been informed by Talent Testing Service that all known exposed talent have been retested and received negative test results” and that based on the “date of the performer’s last clear test and the standard window period for exposure, this suggests no transmission from or within the performer pool and no excess risk to performers.” The production hold announced earlier this week is “lifted immediately” and “anyone with a current clear test panel is able to resume work.”
“There has been no transmission of HIV on a PASS-compliant set since 2004,” PASS noted in announcing the lifting of the production hold. “While there is no way to entirely eliminate the risk of infectious disease transmission when there is interaction between humans, PASS sets guidance and policy to minimize the infectious disease risk to adult performers as much as is feasible.”
PASS added that current production hold procedures “have been in place since 2017 and were designed in collaboration with our testing partners at that time.”
“Once an HIV+ test for a performer is confirmed, all performers who have been potentially exposed are brought in for retesting,” PASS explained. “The performers are then testing via the industry-standard HIV RNA testing (also called PCR or NAT). RNA tests can detect HIV as early as 5-10 days after infection, though PASS requires at least 14 days post-exposure, which surpasses the eclipse period and can detect early HIV infection in 95% of the population.”
In the statement, PASS said adult talent “can look to reduce the risk of HIV with the following tools:”
- Working with talent tested in adherence with PASS’s 14-day protocol
- Using PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), a medicine that reduces your risk of acquiring HIV from sex by 99%
- Using barriers, like condoms, can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 90-95% when used consistently and correctly (though these models do not account for sexual activities related to adult production).
“We appreciate the efforts of all involved, particularly the performer who worked diligently during an incredibly difficult time to identify any contacts within the industry to keep everyone safe,” PASS added. “As a community, it is essential that we continue to protect the privacy of the performer, and provide whatever support and compassion we can.”
