State health officials said Wednesday that a new HIV case was linked to a “vampire facial” at a spa in New Mexico years after it closed.
The New Mexico Department of Health reports that the patient’s only self-reported exposure to HIV was a vampire facial he received at a VIP spa in Albuquerque in 2018.
Spa customers tested positive in 2023, but state inspectors have identified practices that could spread blood-borne diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C to customers. The spa closed in September 2018. At the time of initial investigation, Two other customers tested positive for HIV.
In a vampire facial, a patient’s blood is drawn and microneedles are used to inject blood components into the face. The procedure is reported to help reduce pore size, improve fine lines and rejuvenate skin.
The health department is urging former customers who have received any kind of injection-related services, such as vampire facials at VIP spas or Botox injections, to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. More than 100 former customers were tested in 2018. As part of an initial investigation in 2019, health officials said former VIP customers would need to be retested even if the initial test was negative.
“It is very important that we disseminate information and encourage people who have received injections of any kind related to the services offered at VIP spas to undergo free and confidential testing,” said Deputy Health Secretary Laura. Dr. Parajohn said. .
As of Wednesday, the health department said it had identified more HIV-positive people “directly or indirectly associated with the services provided” at VIP spas. The ministry did not say how many people had tested positive for HIV, nor what it considered an indirect link. CBS News reached out to the Department of Health for clarification.
Kim Kardashian made vampire facials popular posted a picture of myself on instagram After having a facial at another spa in 2013. She has since stated that she opposes the procedure.
Former VIP Spa Owner Maria Ramos de Ruiz In June 2022, he pleaded guilty to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, according to a report by CBS affiliate KRQE. She was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
