Two people test HIV positive in Varanasi after getting tattoos, know what happened

According to media reports, a 20-year-old man who lives in Baragaon area of Varanasi recently got his hand tattooed at a fair held in the village. Soon after this, his health started showing signs of worry. He developed high fever and became weak.

Despite getting rigorous treatments, he wasn’t able to get any relief. The doctors then asked him to get tested for HIV.

To his shock, the man tested positive for HIV, yet he didn’t believe the reports.

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He shared with the doctors that he hasn’t been involved into any physical relationship and didn’t get a blood transfusion ever.

The doctors then noticed his tattoo and explained him that the reason for him being HIV positive is his tattoo.

A similar incident took place in Nagwan locality as well. A woman there got a tattoo from a hawker and soon after started feeling unwell.

Medical examination was then conducted and the girl was found to be HIV positive.

According to a senior doctor of antiretroviral treatment (ART) centre at Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital – Dr Preeti Agarwal, the two HIV infected persons didn’t have any clue about the main cause of infection.

“Neither they had unprotected sex nor were they transfused with infected blood. When they were counselled at the centre, it came to the fore that they started experiencing health problems after getting tattooed,” the doctor clarified.

She added that the main reason for the infection was the use of infected needles for tattooing.

Notably, the needles used to make tattoos are quite expensive. Nevertheless, the artist is expected to throw the needle after using it for one customer. They shouldn’t use the same needle on multiple people just for the sake of earning more money.

The doctor added that those getting tattoos are not aware of the possible dangers.

“They do not even see whether the tattoo-maker has put a new needle in the machine. In such a situation, if an HIV-infected person gets tattooed with that needle, then there is every risk of others getting HIV infection by the use of the same needle,” she said.

Sharing tips about how to get a tattoo done safely, the doctor said that one must heck whether a new needle has been inserted in the machine or not. Further, she suggested that those who got their tattoos recently should get their HIV test done so they can start the treatment immediately.