HIV Outbreak Linked to Unlicensed New Mexico Spa’s Cosmetic Injections

Three women have potentially contracted HIV after undergoing cosmetic injections at an unlicensed New Mexico spa called Spa A. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report on the findings, revealing that all three tested positive for the virus and attributed this to receiving procedures called vampire facials or platelet-rich plasma microneedling at Spa A in spring 2018. One of these women was diagnosed with HIV while travelling abroad in 2018; she reported exposure to needles during her treatment, but denied other possible routes of transmission. The second individual tested positive for the virus during a life insurance health check in 2018, and a third learned about their diagnosis only after being hospitalised last year due to an AIDS-related condition. An HIV cluster associated with these cosmetic injection procedures was identified as part of this investigation; however, it remains unclear how exactly contamination occurred at Spa A, which has since closed following multi-state agency intervention over concerns regarding infection control practices that could potentially spread bloodborne infections such as hepatitis B and C. The spa’s owner pleaded guilty to five felony counts of practising medicine without a licence last year; she was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison.