Bali tattoo and HIV transmission scare

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 28 2011

Tourists who have gotten themselves tattooed or pierced whilst in Bali are being warned to seek medical advice after a Western Australian man reportedly contracted HIV during a recent holiday trip.

Australian health officials are urging travelers to be careful about getting tattoos or piercings in developing countries as the regulations and codes of practice don't necessarily comply with Australia's. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that to avoid infections from HIV and viral hepatitis, individuals should not share needles for tattoos, body piercings, or other injections.

The WA Health notified Commonwealth authorities last week after the WA resident undertook a blood test when he returned from Indonesia. The victim's age and sex and details of where the tattoo was obtained in Bali have not been released.

WA Health director of communicable disease control Paul Armstrong says people who have recently been tattooed in Bali should seriously consider having a blood test. “Anybody who has had a tattoo in Bali or a body piercing in Bali should consider the information that's come out and talk to their doctor about getting tested for HIV,” he said. It is the first time Australian authorities have been notified about HIV contraction from a tattoo. Dr Armstrong says the Commonwealth will also alert Indonesian authorities. “They'll be in contact with the Indonesians to look at what happened at that parlour and to hopefully take some action to prevent that happening again,” he said.

The WA Aids Council says travellers need to be aware of local conditions when they are having sex or getting piercings or tattoos overseas. The council's executive director, Trish Langdon, says tattoos and other procedures where the skin is pierced are subject to strict health department regulations in Australia. But she says the normal risks associated with HIV are magnified when people travel overseas. “I just think the risks are too high and I think it's much more prudent to wait until you get back to Australia where you know the standards and regulations are there,” she said.