How Likely Is It To Get HIV From Tattoo

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Ask the Experts

How likely is it to get Hep A,B,C and HIV from a tattoo?

I recently got a tattoo in a shop that has recently been closed due to unsanitary conditions and unsterilized equipment. Health board is now asking everyone who got a tattoo there to come forward for testing of HEP A,B, C and HIV. I got my blood...

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.

The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation

Hi,How likely is it? Unfortunately there is no way I can specifically quantitate the probability of HIV transmission in situations like this. There are too many potentially confounding variables to consider. (For instance, did you get a tasteful... Read more »

tattoo & HIV/HCV

I had a tattoo 11 months ago. Found out later lady who did it was an IV drug user. 3 weeks after... Read more »

Response from Barbara McGovern, M.D. »

Tattooing

I was diagnosed positive a couple of days ago. I am low risk and after goingover my lifestyle... Read more »

Response from Rick Sowadsky, M.P.H. »

Go to Ask the Experts »

Articles

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

One-Third of Illinois Inmates Get Tattoos

In a survey of HIV risk behaviors among state prison inmates, Chicago State University researchers found that 29 percent of male inmates got a tattoo while behind bars. The team collected data from 526 women and 1,293 men. Sexual intercourse was... Read more »

Michigan: Bill May License Tattoo Parlors

The Michigan Department of Community Health would be put in charge of licensing tattoo parlors under a bill approved by the Senate Health Policy Committee and now being considered by the full Senate. The measure would also require local health... Read more »

Canada: Prison Tattoo Experiment Aims to Cut Disease Rates

The Bath Institution near Kingston, Ontario, is one of six Canadian prisons participating in the Safer Tattooing Practices Initiative, a pilot program aimed at reducing the spread of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis C among inmates. The $700,000... Read more »

Canada: 3,000 Warned of HIV Risk at Tattoo Shop

Customers who received tattoos or body piercings at Moonshin Tattoo, located on Dundas Street West in Mississauga, between March 2005 and February 2009 have been advised to seek testing for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Peel Public Health... Read more »

Connect With Others

HIV In Prisons-MYTHS-Tattooing

Posted by Bear60, 2 Replies

Read the part about Tattoos.

Busted! Georgia Prison Study Shakes Down Some HIV Myths

by Laura Whitehorn

April 26, 2006A new study tracking HIV through the Georgia prison system is busting some myths about life behind bars and raising questions about... Read more »

Tattoo's and HIV

Posted by Anonymous, 4 Replies

Hi everyone,
I am + but my viral load is below 200. I am wanting to go for my first tattoo (at 32!) but I worry about exposure and disclosure, has anyone out there been refused because of their stat, or is it a don't ask don't tell policy (since I... Read more »

TATTOO RISKS???

Posted by curls, 2 Replies

I got my first tattoo on March 10 and have been worried about hiv infection ever since. I had the tattoo done at a shop that's been established for 15+ years, but is a little on the scuzzy side. I personally didn't see the artist open new needles ... Read more »

Tattoo and me

Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies

Hello, I'm 16 going on 17 and I want to get a tattoo for my birthday. I am HIV positive. I'm wondering if there can be any complication towards me if I get a tattoo. I am of course aware that I need to go to a safe sterile professional environment... Read more »

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