Are Fish Spa Increasing The Risk of Disease Transmission?

Are you happy with tickling sensation when doing fish spa? Hmm ... it seems there are a few things you need to consider before doing it.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), an independent agency in England, this foot fish spa may increase the risk of spreading diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Although the risk of infection is low, but it should not be completely ignored.

fish spa
While doing fish spa treatments, we will be asked to dip both feet into the water where there are hundreds of small fish called Garra rufa (or Doctor Fish) which will chew dead skin from your feet. Many said that our feet will be smooth and fresh because of harsh parts of dead skin cells are eaten by fish.

There have been reports of health scares around this fish spa treatment but if you visit a reputable salon where hygiene is taken seriously there will not be any problems. A good salon will use ultra violet light in the tanks to destroy bacteria and keep the water clean and fresh.

Problems can arise as a result of bacteria that transferred by the fish from the water in the tank, or from a user to others if the water is not changed.

Well, if there is a user who are infected with viruses derived from blood, such as HIV or hepatitis, and had bleeding in the water, your risks contracted the disease is increasing.

People with diabetes, psoriasis, or weak immune systems, including those most at risk of contracting. Therefore, they are not recommended for fish spa therapy.

"If a proper hygiene procedure is followed, the risk of infection is very low. However, there is still a risks transmission of the number of infections, including HIV and hepatitis virus," said the HPA spokesman.

So before you do this fish spa, ask first and get information about hygiene standards that applied.
Source: The Daily Mail

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