[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6133031,"mediaKeyId","5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d","parentId",5705959,"title","State health staff and members highlight racial disparities in HIV diagnoses and urge focused prevention outreach","audioSeconds",298,"startMs",4532000,"endMs",4830000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d&start=4532&end=4830","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d/thumbnail_4532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6133031/Louisiana/State-health-staff-and-members-highlight-racial-disparities-in-HIV-diagnoses-and-urge-focused-prevention-outreach","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133031-c47e2d0726d4b4104db0c83ccdeb2a44/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448624&Signature=BMchkKqqA-LF7AAcxbdC2gjV8jN0WRt0jmpug-dqtJseIoNOJX6dcBBQQkP6mD-qmrnfGjSDtak8wfL0KCf4pdD-oEcOS5IoSeM7hqwml7aX2SBWqqRAgFqC6DDoGI96LSTPgOypQfOwu0haeAuoDv9JSlER7icAL-XS4xhuouuB9mkNsONC2yahzvhT40IGal16wDbPr8ttxF7uUjUJaGU8i8XFqhqBE~Tm6mD~Z35OuyP6p8JgUNEbfDcCLE-MobzxuQurYuJM4tRcW66wlR72qkri81GDJCY2DmDN9cGTr5Xm5AAaO1j1G-pJA8SmWJknZURVpHFm21gs8692KQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-08-29T00:00:00Z","article","LDH staff told the HR 3 22 task force that Louisiana’s newly diagnosed HIV cases are disproportionately concentrated among Black residents and men who have sex with men. The department reported that 68 percent of new diagnoses in the referenced dataset were Black and that gay and bisexual men make up a large share of new cases.

Representative Annie Spell and others asked what the state is doing to address those disparities. LDH staff and Dr. Meredith Clement described prevention activities, including provider training and community outreach focused on increasing awareness and uptake of pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Clement and LDH staff described a locally supported project — funded through an NIH R34 award in collaboration with Duke — that paired provider education for gynecology clinicians with a social‑media campaign developed in partnership with the Institute for Women in Ethnic Studies (IWISH) to raise PrEP awareness among Black cisgender women.

Members expressed concern about possible federal funding changes. Dr. Burgess said the state had not yet lost federal HIV prevention funds but acknowledged language in federal appropriations debates that could reduce funding in the future. Members asked LDH to provide trend data and programmatic details showing prevention funding, utilization of PrEP, and outcomes over multiple years to assess whether interventions are reducing new infections.

The task force asked staff to present trend data and a fuller description of prevention programs at the next meeting so the group can assess effectiveness and equity of current efforts before producing recommendations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House T.F. Public Health Outcomes of Incurable STIs Aug 29, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Louisiana Department of Health staff and task force members said recent data show Black gay and bisexual men and Black women are disproportionately affected by new HIV diagnoses; task force discussed targeted PrEP outreach and an NIH‑funded local project to raise PrEP awareness among Black cisgender women.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature LA, Louisiana","taxId",78558,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6133035,"Task force members flag legal proof and intent as central challenges if transmission is criminalized",195,5090000,5285000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d&start=5090&end=5285","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d/thumbnail_5090000.jpg","/articles/6133035/Louisiana/Task-force-members-flag-legal-proof-and-intent-as-central-challenges-if-transmission-is-criminalized","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133035-93069dfe0096f9f1970cd1e82b758623/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448624&Signature=nWNXBOR08GiNgHy~Uc5QTbx~33J7aStvwqZce4eH9~44Zz8kprvjERkFWXrTC0LorRmXS0-Ha6YlyjkVcesiA8~nC6Fw4ve-mAVuI6tRpmi-7jqxpSQrOoELBQyJ~F5AmuBIG1TERTAVKhyQz5wc0jEEwEu77-m0QxGDrNviR5UXw1jJ~oOzxx5vuCj~MenYuHdqpGnBvjRujtTU-0SDWJLKX84GcG1~dBl9R9iCpw9rnLt4~ltWXY4qLwfNUkRnuSG6YCD9REj6eyGuiGoqW9YT6xEdXgt-ZGHVtCgp7vQwqLntA4pe9FqfP9yV6aoZ0~T8TD1VS0t4OU99DLJ9rA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Task force members spent part of the meeting discussing how criminal statutes that target intentional exposure to incurable sexually transmitted infections would be applied in practice and what evidence prosecutors need to prove intent. Representative Pat Moore cited press reports about out‑of‑state prosecutions and said some constituents requested the study for justice reasons.

Zack Daniels, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, offered to prepare a legal briefing for the task force explaining how \"intent\" is defined and applied under Louisiana criminal law and how prior prosecutions have been handled. \"I'd be happy to compile a presentation of sorts as to what intent means in criminal law,\" Daniels said, offering to review reported cases and decisions under the state's HIV exposure statute.

Members and presenters emphasized several evidentiary limits in common STI testing: for HPV and HSV, routine tests generally cannot show who infected whom; for HBV and HIV, proving directionality may be possible only in narrow circumstances when pre‑exposure negative tests and acute illness are documented. Dietz and others noted that public reporting often lacks clinical detail (for example, whether an exposed person actually contracted an infection or whether the alleged source was virally suppressed), which complicates public understanding of prosecutions.

The task force asked legal stakeholders and staff to assemble past reported cases, summaries of how the HIV exposure statute has been applied, and an explanation of prosecutorial standards to inform future policy recommendations. Daniels volunteered to contribute that analysis for a future meeting.","Members discussed that proving knowledge or intent in alleged intentional exposure cases is legally difficult; Zack Daniels offered to compile a presentation on how intent is defined and applied in Louisiana criminal law.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6133040,"Louisiana HR 3 22 task force elects chair and vice chair, sets fall meeting dates",621,140000,761000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d&start=140&end=761","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d/thumbnail_140000.jpg","/articles/6133040/Louisiana/Louisiana-HR-3-22-task-force-elects-chair-and-vice-chair-sets-fall-meeting-dates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133040-0bc3b4c474dba774e999c3e8c0231459/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448624&Signature=KfqTfBdWTEWeftOYAXZ4ltU90eNUDdMFxfOygJtcMrRx91akRPm3OXfL4SZ9NTQOn4w1UFimuqByMSfHGyXeTu75NLudr69w9eYgy5tKCBydagKXlE5X9Vm2zhz5FtT70yQ-nB~1TG-taUANsNlcyebKzWYR1YuPfJ7Q7CgNRTjFeqA49U9dx0nzFmQj52Zsuv~i6iGelIzCBfLQ~7p6rxFZq~EAONI4UG-C-xBNvzPuLSw8Wy5-xX1Y9Yc97yGxO6mzKkkNwEq-26GVANqvuzZ82-yMHiWqpJPS8oXx5maZ5MjeQPms1CcnR8f~Y7lSbq6fVP9Te7FAJBLqbqgk9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The HR 3 22 task force establishing a study of incurable sexually transmitted infections elected Dr. Samuel Burgess, of the Louisiana Department of Health, as chair by consensus at its first convening. Representative Pat Moore nominated Burgess; there were no objections and Burgess accepted the responsibility.

Representative Vanessa LaFleur nominated Representative Annie Spell for vice chair but Spell withdrew her nomination; Dietz, statewide coordinator for the Louisiana Coalition on Criminalization and Health, was subsequently nominated and elected vice chair by consensus. Representative Pat Moore confirmed that a quorum was present when the task force conducted votes.

Members agreed to meet roughly once a month to complete work before the 2026 regular session. The group set an initial schedule of meetings to be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 10, Oct. 8 and Nov. 19, 2025, with the members preferring not to meet in December and reserving a tentative Feb. 11, 2026 meeting date if the report still requires approval. Task force staff will circulate calendar invites and slide decks before the next meeting.

The resolution that created the task force directs that a majority of total membership constitutes a quorum, that the Louisiana Department of Health provide staff support, and that one print and one electronic copy of any report be submitted to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library before the 2026 session. Ayesha, staff to the task force, confirmed she would circulate minutes and the slide deck from the first meeting.","At its first meeting Representative Pat Moore nominated Dr. Samuel Burgess as chair and the task force elected him by consensus; Dietz was chosen as vice chair. Members set a monthly meeting cadence beginning Sept. 10, 2025 (1:00 p.m.) with follow‑ups in October and November and reserved February as a contingency before the 2026 session.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6133045,"Experts tell Louisiana task force HPV, herpes testing limits complicate claims of intentional transmission; HIV prevention is effective when treated",2942,1370000,4312000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d&start=1370&end=4312","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705959-6895716631226fc92aade24eda50e16d/thumbnail_1370000.jpg","/articles/6133045/Louisiana/Experts-tell-Louisiana-task-force-HPV-herpes-testing-limits-complicate-claims-of-intentional-transmission-HIV-prevention-is-effective-when-treated","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133045-7726e7f49bdef9078cc4becd73fb3565/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448624&Signature=SpuQm2TDwyGbS67l3RdT-UunIJ6qk3a~Z38kwvhsTU8wQIE-CWBJD-W9-rM9bk0Jff-2QPSbbT309mHTlntJuf2vOLm4w16Wczne9NAIjq63UdQu6a3m0E5bsWPIJV8CuIyhewhJkrsB-gMdG3IiNmJlpC3VOyZmpcQeVuC7AD4npNM~zUboF9BkwQF1ucLym8SU~D3i~6yh5Foh3-dntr8Zfgh8gzbmOPhqLaOgohV-6iCiCsxmB00pD0Hw3W2asXUSUoQ5g1fyvF-jaGxjhzNQEkxGbnADoXbCIn5qBi-k1~CQ4WFydpLkRBpqHA9FkYNN5hTE6-VuAZwGZLo-Sg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Meredith Clement, an infectious‑disease physician and researcher in New Orleans, told the HR 3 22 task force that human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B (HBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV have different testing, transmission and public‑health profiles and that those differences affect how public health officials and prosecutors can establish transmission. \"Human papillomavirus ... is the most common STI globally,\" Clement said, and she cautioned that routine testing and surveillance differ between infections.

Clement said HPV is typically diagnosed during cervical exams; there is no routine blood (antibody) test for HPV and no standard genital test for men, so \"you cannot prove directionality\" of transmission from HPV tests alone. For hepatitis B, she explained the difference between antigen/PCR testing and antibody testing and said the CDC recommends at least one screening test in a lifetime, adding that fewer than 5 percent of adults who are infected progress to chronic infection. On herpes, Clement said definitive diagnosis requires PCR of a lesion and that serology has limited utility because of false positives and negatives and because many infections are asymptomatic but still intermittently shed virus.

On HIV, Clement noted the large body of clinical evidence that effective antiretroviral treatment that suppresses viral load makes sexual transmission essentially impossible. \"Undetectable equals untransmittable,\" she said, summarizing trials showing no documented sexual transmissions from virally suppressed people in large partner studies. She also summarized clinical prevention tools: post‑exposure prophylaxis begun within 72 hours and several highly effective pre‑exposure prophylaxis options, including long‑acting injectables.

The Louisiana Department of Health staff clarified what the state formally tracks: HIV and hepatitis B are reportable conditions, and the department maintains a surveillance repository for positive tests. \"HPV and HSV are not reportable and we do not maintain local data on them,\" an LDH presenter said, explaining that the ubiquity of those infections and limits of available tests reduce the value of routine reporting for population surveillance. LDH staff also described the state's molecular HIV surveillance program, which can identify clusters of related recent diagnoses for public‑health action but cannot reliably prove who infected whom.

Task force members repeatedly raised the question of legal proof of directionality and intent. Clement and LDH staff told members that, except in narrow circumstances where serial negative tests are documented before a single exposure and subsequent acute illness is well documented, laboratory proof that one named person infected another is generally not available for HPV or HSV and is difficult for HBV and HIV.

The task force asked staff to return with surveillance trends and programmatic data at the next meeting, and members discussed using the clinical distinctions Clement outlined when crafting policy or legal recommendations.","At an HR 3 22 task force meeting, infectious‑disease expert Meredith Clement reviewed HPV, hepatitis B, herpes simplex and HIV, noting testing and surveillance limits for HPV and HSV, the diagnostic distinctions for hepatitis B, and that effective HIV treatment prevents sexual transmission.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State health staff and members highlight racial disparities in HIV diagnoses and urge focused prevention outreach

Task force members flag legal proof and intent as central challenges if transmission is criminalized

Louisiana HR 3 22 task force elects chair and vice chair, sets fall meeting dates

Experts tell Louisiana task force HPV, herpes testing limits complicate claims of intentional transmission; HIV prevention is effective when treated