Article originally published in English
Three HIV patients were treated to facials at a spa in New Mexico.
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A spa in the United States was the first to be linked to HIV transmission from cosmetic injections, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report last week.
Three people were infected by “an undetermined spa source” in New Mexico in 2018, resulting in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system. Although it cannot be cured, treatment can drive the virus to undetectable levels, making it a manageable disease.
The group of people was discovered after a woman between 40 and 50 years old tested positive for HIV abroad, without any risk factors for the virus.
He had not injected drugs, had not received blood transfusions recently, nor had he had contact with anyone other than his current sexual partner, who tested negative for the virus.
The woman reported being exposed to needles during a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) microneedling procedure, also known as a “vampire facial,” at a spa in New Mexico.
This cosmetic procedure involves collecting a person’s blood and using part of it to inject it back into the face.
The CDC has stated that HIV transmission through “nonsterile injection practices is a known risk,” but transmission through cosmetic injection has not previously been documented.
“Unsafe infection control practices”
The New Mexico Department of Health investigated the spa where the woman received the facial in 2018. It closed later that year because the owner did not have the proper licenses.
Health officials identified 59 clients at risk of exposure, including 20 who received the treatment in question and 39 who received other services such as Botox. Nearly 200 former clients and their sexual partners were tested between 2018 and 2023.
The CDC report says the New Mexico spa had “several unsafe infection control practices,” including unlabeled tubes containing blood on a counter.
“Unlabeled tubes of blood and medical injectables (i.e., botox and lidocaine) were stored in the kitchen refrigerator along with food. Unpackaged syringes were found in drawers, on counters, and discarded in regular trash cans,” the CDC said.
Early treatment in the weeks following HIV infection may help control the virus better in the long term, a study finds.
They added that the spa did not keep complete customer records, which posed a problem during the investigation.
“This group could potentially include other people with undiagnosed HIV infection or with a diagnosis of infection but no sequence available for analysis,” the health agency said.
The agency added that research shows that spas should require “adequate infection control practices” to prevent transmission of HIV and other pathogens and maintain good records.
