How others sexual conduct becomes everyone's business...
NIKKO BRITERAMOS, an 18-year-old freshman at Si
Tanka-Huron University, was arrested Tuesday and charged
with five counts of knowingly exposing a woman to HIV.
Briteramos, who is from Chicago, remained in jail Friday on
$10,000 bail.
More than 50 people were tested Thursday, and none
had any immediate sign of the virus, Gov. Bill Janklow said.
Additional testing will be required at three weeks, three
months and six months, he said.
One of the people who was tested gave the names of
70 others who were in contact with Briteramos, and the
chain will undoubtedly run into the hundreds before everyone
is tested, Janklow said.
For “anyone who has multiple sex partners, it’s
reasonable to assume that some of those sex partners have
had multiple sex partners, and that’s how the chain starts,”
he said.
STATE’S RATE AMONG NATION’S LOWEST
State Health Department officials said three reports of
HIV infection, including Briteramos’ case, had been
confirmed in Huron, a middle-class town of 12,000 about 120
miles from Sioux Falls. Authorities allege that Briteramos
had sex with the two other people.
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The AIDS rate in South Dakota is among the lowest in
the nation, at 1.1 cases for every 100,000 residents.
Briteramos’ infection was detected when he tried to
donate blood last month, authorities said.
Fifty sexual partners have been identified from the three
HIV-positive cases.
Briteramos, a 6-foot-7 center, could get up to 75 years
in prison if convicted on all counts.
“This is no different than pointing a gun at somebody
and pulling the trigger,” Janklow said.
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