Woman Involved in HIV Biting Case Receives 13-Year Prison Sentence for Charges of Parole Violation, Drug Possession
An HIV-positive Florida woman who transmitted HIV to an elderly man when she bit him during a robbery in 1994 was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for violating her probation, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Naomi Morrison has previously served nearly seven years in prison for the incident. The incident marked the first documented case in the United States in which the virus was spread through a human bite (Orthon, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/26). Morrison was released in January 2001 but was arrested earlier this year on charges of misdemeanor drug possession, solicitation and parole violation. The Florida State Attorney's Office had said it was considering pressing criminal charges against Morrison because the man she infected with HIV died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1997 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/29).
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
