I was enjoying a nice night in. Sweats on, a bowl of Dark Chocolate Moose Munch, and sole possession of the remote, it had all the markings of a perfect end to the week. Flipping through the channels I found 20/20 and the story of Philippe Padieu.
Philippe Padieu was sentenced to 45 years in prison on charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The weapon was HIV. He had been diagnosed in September of 2005 and knowingly spread HIV to (at least) six women. Thirty-three states have some type of law that is specific to willful spread of HIV. However, Texas does not currently have an HIV law, hence the aggravated assault charge.
During the trial, DNA sequencing was used for the first time in Texas and only the third time nationally. The DNA sequencing found Padieu to be the common link in the HIV strain present in all six women. More distressing is that his girlfriend from the mid 1990 came forward and stated that she believed Padieu was the source of her HIV. She was tested and again the DNA sequencing led to Padieu. This fact shows that he had been spreading HIV for more than a decade.
I found several factors of this case disturbing. First, Padieu told each woman that he was tested for HIV and other STDs every year and each woman believed they were in a monogamous relationship. One woman, his girlfriend of four years, asked him point blank if his HIV test results were negative and he replied that he had tested negative. Secondly, by the time two of the women (who had been sick for quite some time) were given a HIV test by their health providers each had a CD4 count of less than thirty, which means they had AIDS. Most of the women were in their late 40s through their 50s. Stereotypically, they are not the face of HIV. However, people over the age of 50 now account for over ten percent of new infections annually. Lastly, knowing that one of his victims was from the mid 1990s, how many people did he infect?
This case brings to light the difficult issues of HIV prevention specifically and public health in general. When you are counting on personal responsibility and ethics to prevent disease, some people will make choices that will lead to the harm of others. In a nutshell, this is what makes HIV prevention a challenge. Each person in a relationship needs to know their status and be honest with their status, sexual and drug histories, and their intent in the relationship. If Philippe Padieu had been forthcoming with his status, he would have maintained his freedom.
Philippe Padieu was sentenced to 45 years in prison on charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The weapon was HIV. He had been diagnosed in September of 2005 and knowingly spread HIV to (at least) six women. Thirty-three states have some type of law that is specific to willful spread of HIV. However, Texas does not currently have an HIV law, hence the aggravated assault charge.
During the trial, DNA sequencing was used for the first time in Texas and only the third time nationally. The DNA sequencing found Padieu to be the common link in the HIV strain present in all six women. More distressing is that his girlfriend from the mid 1990 came forward and stated that she believed Padieu was the source of her HIV. She was tested and again the DNA sequencing led to Padieu. This fact shows that he had been spreading HIV for more than a decade.
I found several factors of this case disturbing. First, Padieu told each woman that he was tested for HIV and other STDs every year and each woman believed they were in a monogamous relationship. One woman, his girlfriend of four years, asked him point blank if his HIV test results were negative and he replied that he had tested negative. Secondly, by the time two of the women (who had been sick for quite some time) were given a HIV test by their health providers each had a CD4 count of less than thirty, which means they had AIDS. Most of the women were in their late 40s through their 50s. Stereotypically, they are not the face of HIV. However, people over the age of 50 now account for over ten percent of new infections annually. Lastly, knowing that one of his victims was from the mid 1990s, how many people did he infect?
This case brings to light the difficult issues of HIV prevention specifically and public health in general. When you are counting on personal responsibility and ethics to prevent disease, some people will make choices that will lead to the harm of others. In a nutshell, this is what makes HIV prevention a challenge. Each person in a relationship needs to know their status and be honest with their status, sexual and drug histories, and their intent in the relationship. If Philippe Padieu had been forthcoming with his status, he would have maintained his freedom.
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