Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Elgin-St Thomas Public Health
Elgin St Thomas Public Health Issues Warning about Uninspected Tattoo Business in St Thomas
St. Thomas, Ontario, December 23, 2015 - People who received body art, such as tattoos, at an uninspected tattoo business in St. Thomas are being advised to have their blood tested. Elgin St. Thomas Public Health (ESTPH) conducted an investigation of a business after discovering solicitation of tattooing for trade of goods on an online classified advertisement site. The business, at 114 Scott Street (Apartment 2) in St. Thomas, was ordered closed immediately with a written Order under Section 13 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA).
The operator of the unnamed business was unable to provide ESTPH with a list of client records during a site visit on Wednesday, December 23, 2015. The business is not on record as having been inspected by ESTPH. As a result, ESTPH cannot be sure appropriate infection control practices were in place. Clients who received body art from this business may have been at risk of being exposed to blood borne infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Though the risk of spreading blood borne infections from inadequate sterilization of tattooing equipment is considered low, these infections may go unrecognized because some people don’t have symptoms.
“There have been no reports of infectious disease transmission related to this investigation but we need to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety, health and well-being of our community members” said Jaime Fletcher, Manager of Health Protection Programs at Elgin St. Thomas Public Health.
ESTPH offers free confidential testing for blood borne infections Mondays and Fridays from 9-4 and Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1-4. For information, call 519-631-9900 ext. 1278. Testing can also be arranged through your health care provider or your local health unit if you live outside of Elgin County. ESTPH will reopen following the holidays on Tuesday, December 29, 2015.
Body art modifications, like tattooing and body piercing, can place individuals at risk for skin and blood borne infections. ESTPH recommends that individuals seeking to obtain body art ask their service providers about what measures they take to prevent infections before, during and after the tattoo or piercing process. Service providers should also be able to provide a recent inspection report completed by an ESTPH Certified Public Health Inspector for customers to review before they make a decision.
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