US porn film makers suspend filming over HIV scare: report

Two US porn film companies have suspended production after an actor tested HIV positive, while doctors scramble to check if anyone else has been infected, the LA Times reported Wednesday.

Vivid Entertainment and Wicked Pictures, both based outside Los Angeles, took the action as a precaution after the unidentified actor was confirmed as having the virus that causes AIDS.

"We did this as a precaution and will continue to monitor the situation," Vivid's founder Steven Hirsch was quoted as saying by the newspaper. He said he would "wait for all of the facts" before resuming production.

It was not known whether the infected actor was male or female.

A clinic specialized in caring for porn industry workers said it was working to screen other actors who may have been infected by the actor who tested HIV positive.

"We are quarantining and testing all exposed partners to the individual," said Jennifer Miller of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation. "We're doing what we can to notify the individuals involved," she added.

Neither of the two production companies nor the clinic responded immediately to requests for comment.

The reported HIV case, the first in more than a year in the lucrative industry based in the San Fernando valley north of LA, fueled calls for film companies to force actors in their movies to use condoms.

"How many more people have to be infected with HIV before Los Angeles County steps in to do its job and protect performers' and the public's health?" asked Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.