HARTFORD (AP) -- The state Supreme Court has ruled, in a split decision, that HIV is an occupational disease for some Connecticut prison guards.
The ruling came in the case of a prison guard who had worked from 1986 until 1991 in the Bridgeport correctional facility.
In April of 1992, the guard was diagnosed with HIV, and in March of 1993, he died of, AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
His estate filed a claim for death benefits, but that was rejected by the worker's compensation system.
The guard, identified only as John Doe, had been a member of the emergency response unit, a special team of correction officers that responded to major disturbances and riots.
When responding to such incidents, guards can be exposed to blood and other bodily fluids of inmates through splash incidents. The high court's ruling today says that HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS, is an occupational disease for guards assigned to emergency response teams.
