June 21, 2011

HIV Fear After Man Urinates in Oregon Reservoir

The city of Portland, Oregon, flushed 8 million gallons of water from its reservoir after a security camera caught a man urinating in it, The Associated Press (AP) reports. City officials have said that the water posed a health risk because of the potential of chlamydia or HIV from blood in the urine. Public health officials are calling the city’s decision an overreaction, citing that the urine in the reservoir would have been so diluted it posed little risk and that animals routinely contribute waste to the reservoir. The water was worth about $28,000 plus sewage charges.

To read the AP article, click here.

Search: HIV, man, urinates, Portland, Oregon, reservoir, water

Scroll down to comment on this story.

Previous Comments:

Charlie A., MD, Miami, FL, 2011-06-23 14:17:11
That's what I call a real stupidity!!. How come a simple act of piss in a RESERVOIR could transmit HIV or Chlamidia???. 8 millions of gallons can dilute practically ANYTHING you drop on it!!. That was a real waste of time and resources!!. Really, where did those "health professionals" study??!!.

Doug, Gardena, CA, 2011-06-23 14:08:27
It totally amazes me how much out right ingnorance and stupidity remains in our suposedly enlightened society

Ending Discrimination, , 2011-06-23 13:01:29
Have they lost their minds. People with HIV share public pools where children play, serve you food in a restaurant, sweat on the bed in the hotel … this is just the utmost in stupidity. POZ needs to adopt a more critical editorial standard.

JT, , 2011-06-23 12:07:57
This is curious, as only the Poz.com story makes a link with HIV. The AP article does not mention it in the story or headline, and a search of google news brings up no articles that mention concern about hiv as a reason for draining the resovior. I heard an interview with the Portland water guy and he said it was the "yuck" factor that lead to the decision, but did not mention anything more specific.

Kim, Raleigh, 2011-06-23 12:03:17
I have learned that people especially so-called professionals do some of the most idiotic things when it comes to HIV. I thought this was 2011. Do people not read anymore about this disease?

James Gotzman, Oakland Park, Fl, 2011-06-23 10:53:57
Ignorance just cost Portland alot of money. A simple phone call to the Health Department could have prevented a stupid decision.

Greg747, Patchogue, NY, 2011-06-23 10:45:02
I swear that HIV fear and stigma are getting worse over the past few years. This example of Municipal Stupidity makes my case. As an HIV services provider, I wonder how much more we can do to combat idiocy, because we are soo busy trying to keep our people healthy?...

Thomas Bowie, Rossie, NY, 2011-06-23 09:15:21
2011 and someone in charge of the public water supply even considered draining 8 Million Gallons of H2O shows just how dumb down America has become. Reminds me of my TV News interview when Greg Louganis was injured at the Olympics. Folks really thinking we pose a risks in pools. So dumb shows how much our political system has kept the flow of honest information from the general public for fear of not being voted back into office for religious reasons. Fear=Death is so true. America its 2011.

Paolo Presta-Gunton, Hamilton, 2011-06-23 08:57:00
In this day and time you'd think that ignorance like this would have been gone. It just shows how much more we have to do to educate about HIV.

Rebel, Raleigh Durham, 2011-06-22 13:14:03
It shocks me they did this, but I have seen people overreact before based on misinformation, so the FEARS have not subsided in the face of facts. Evolution somehow doesn't apply to our minds it seems.

James, St.Louis, 2011-06-22 13:04:37
This is absurd. I'd be more worried about angry restaraunt workers spitting in my food because I was rude to the staff. But whatever. Buy a freaking filter for the water! Add some chlorine! Test the water! $28,000 to flush the water seems going a little far. I'd be more concerned about the rats that must be all over the place, running up and down the pipes. That is what would make people sick. Human urine is actually sterile, thats why you can drink it if you ever had to go without H20!!