Health officials at New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) have been encouraging former clients of the VIP Spa in Albuquerque to get tested for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) after two clients were confirmed to have contracted the infection.
The health officials said that both the clients had received an “injection-related procedure” at the spa between May and September 2018.
NMDOH Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel said, “While over 100 VIP Spa clients have already been tested, NMDOH is reaching out to ensure that testing and counseling services are available for individuals who received injection-related services at the VIP Spa. Testing is important for everyone as there are effective treatments for HIV and many hepatitis infections.”
Last year, an inspection revealed that certain practices at VIP Spa could spread infectious disease because of which the spa had to shut down all its operations. The NMDOH conducted the inspection after the officials learned that a span client had an infection that may have caused by the procedure.
Authorities shut down the spa on September 7, 2018, immediately after inspectors discovered unsafe practices that exposed clients to infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
The procedure was called “Vampire Facial,” a treatment in which a person’s own blood is injected into their face to improve skin health.
Two former clients have to face a lifetime of suppression therapy. While HIV suppression therapy may keep the virus to undetectable levels and can prevent transmission to partners, it needs daily medication that might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to a patient. Free and confidential testing has been made available to former clients of the now-defunct VIP Spa.
