HIV Exposure in Iowa

Last week, I went to an event that was put on by the Sexual Health Alliance of Johnson and Linn Counties called HIV Transmission in Iowa: Criminalization and the Changing Legal Landscape. I didn't know before attending the event that Iowa had some of the strictest HIV exposure laws in the country. I also didn't know that when someone who knows they're HIV-positive exposes another person to HIV without disclosing their HIV status, it's treated more harshly than the same situation is when other communicable diseases are involved, including diseases of similar severity (such as Hepatitis B). I also didn't realize that in many states, including Iowa, it doesn't matter if the HIV-positive person wears a condom, is taking their medication to lower their viral load, or doesn't actually transmit HIV - it's just the exposure to HIV without disclosure that matters legally (with no regard to risk).

They played a clip from this documentary, which looks very powerful and interesting. Nick Rhoades, who is featured in the documentary, spoke at the event.

I'm definitely going to check out this documentary once it's available.



In other news, right now everyone is really excited about the Building Dedication, which is today. I'm really looking forward to it, especially since Thomas Frieden (director of the CDC), Harrison Spencer (president and CEO of the Association of Schools of Public Health), and Senator Tom Harkin will be there!

I also just got back from the Iowa Governor's Conference on Public Health, which was definitely a great networking experience. I met a lot of interesting people and learned about some great things that are happening across the state.