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<H1>Health district urges testing in wake of HIV arrest</H1><!--End Headline--><BR><!--Start Byline-->
<ADDRESS>By DAVID JOHNSON<BR>of the Tribune</ADDRESS><!--End Byline-->
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<P>MOSCOW -- The arrest of a Moscow man for allegedly having sex with a number of people without first informing them he tested positive for HIV has triggered an alert from the North Central District Health Department.
<P>Officials are recommending confidential counseling and HIV testing for all persons who've had sexual contact with Kanay A. Mubita. A testing and counseling session is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. today at the district office here at 333 E. Palouse River Drive.
<P>Carol Moehrle, district director, said a similar session tentatively set for the same time at a local tavern has been canceled due to problems with ensuring anonymity on-site.
<P>Possibly 20 or more people have been identified as potential victims, according to court records. Mubita, 31, has been charged with seven counts, involving seven women, of transferring body fluids that may contain HIV. He remains in the Latah County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
<P>Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. said he's not sure how many more people might come forward, but his office will pursue additional cases if the facts warrant prosecution. Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Evans, who's handling the Mubita cases, said this is the first time Latah County authorities have filed such charges against anyone.
<P>The law, said Thompson, makes it a felony if a person knows they have HIV and then engages in sex with someone prior to alerting the partner of the infection. HIV is the virus that can lead to AIDS.
<P>Local concern, said Moehrle, is legitimate, especially among those who frequent the bar scene where Mubita, according to court records, was known as a regular.
<P>But fear, added Moehrle, should be tempered by facts about the spread of HIV.
<P>Just because someone has sex with an infected person, said Moehrle, doesn't mean the virus is automatically passed on. In fact, the odds are against it. One of Mubita's alleged victims, for example, told authorities she'd been having sex with the defendant on a regular basis for a number of years and she's still testing negative.
<P>Health experts, said Moehrle, recommend that persons who've had sex with an infected partner should be tested six months after the last encounter to ensure negative test results.
<P>Certain sexual behavior, especially anal sex, increases the chance of spreading the virus, said Moehrle. That's because anal sex creates an increased chance of lesions, which provide a direct pathway into the blood stream, she said.
<P>Persons who have lesions or sores anywhere on their body have an increased chance of contracting the virus when having sex with an infected partner.
<P>Condoms provide an increased degree of protection but aren't fail safe, Moehrle said. Likewise, birth control pills provide no protection against the virus. Abstinence or sex within a monogamous relationship is the best way to ensure against the sexual transfer of the disease, according to experts.
<P>In addition to sexual contact, HIV can be spread through the sharing of contaminated needles, transfusion of infected blood and blood products, surgical transplanting of infected organs and tissues, and the sharing of body piercing and tattooing equipment. An infected woman who gets pregnant can also give the virus to her unborn baby.
<P>The virus has also been found in saliva, tears, bronchial secretions and urine, according to the health district, but transmission via these secretions has not been well documented.
<P>According to Idaho law, all positive tests conducted by any health-care provider must be reported to state authorities within three days. Each case must also be investigated by the local health district to identify potentially exposed persons.
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<P>Johnson may be contacted at deveryone@potlatch.com. </P></TD></TR>
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