Barbershops Highly Unlikely To Spread Hiv
The Zambia Medical Association says HIV is unlikely to be spread through barbershops.
Reacting to a statement which was earlier allegedly issued by an official from the National Aids Council which was later corrected to have come from the Zimbabwe Aids Council that HIV can be spread through Barbershops, ZMA General Secretary Francis Mupeta said that is highly unlikely.
In a short statement on his Facebook, Dr Mupeta said the HIV is a very labile virus which gets killed by simple disinfectants like methylated spirit and heating.
Dr Mupeta observed that the barbers clippers used are normally heated through vibrations and that renders the virus inactivated for transmission.
However, there still a small chance of transmission should a barber man use the clippers after cutting one customer without disinfecting it and cuts another customer causing a wound. This situation is highly unlikely as it would be assault and would require an inquiry into the state of mind into the barber man. HIV is not an entirely hygienic issue, say you dont get a cut or bleach in your skin, you wont get HIV but you can still get fungal. Remember the basics, he said.
Dr Mupeta also warned that without proper disinfection customers are at risk of getting highly Infectious diseases like Hepatitis B and fungal infections.
I therefore urge owners of barbershops to practice hygiene by properly sterilising their equipment, he said.
What Color Should Barbicide Be
Barbarcide and Its Proper Use. The iconic blue of Barbicide is a constant in the beauty industry. Barbers and stylists claim Barbicide as one of the staples in any industry establishment. The first thing to do in your infection control process is clean your implements, by removing all physical debris.
Can Hiv Spread Through Barber Shop
The only way infection can occur due to something as simple as a clipper or razor blade is by causing a little nick.Despite its lipid envelope, HIV can survive on a barbering instrument for a considerable amount of time, particularly on a baring instrument, where transmission occurs, the virus can survive on the surfaces of barbering instruments for a period long enough for transmission to occur, particularly in commercial barber shops.
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You Can Easily Contract Hiv From Kinyozi Wa Ndevu
County_RiftValleyBy Gardy Chacha | 6yrs ago | 3 min read
My head was well used to seedy kinyozi places with rickety tin-walls that squeaked with every whiff of the wind. But there was this one time I treated myself to an executive haircut at an executive barber shop.Nothing wrong with being philanthropic to my head, I thought.
I made my way to the revolving black leather seat not knowing that questions like Should I cut this part? and, would you love this lotion? was more than showing customer care because after two hours of having a cut the bill read Sh2,500!
I cleared my throat and called a friend for rescue feeling very violated like someone forced themselves into my pocket. Despite paying all that, it turns out, my safety against contracting HIV and similar illnesses wasnt quite assured.HIV can be transmitted through shaving at the barber, says Dr Kizito Lubano, a lecturer and private practitioner. The machines used disrupt hair follicles and cause micro-cuts. This breaks the skin barrier and any microbe can therefore be easily inoculated.
Good barbers, he says, will actually sterilize the machines before using them on a new client.
But not the typical kinyozi attendants who will move from one client to the next in quick succession using the same machine and sprinkling a few drops of methylated spirit on the cutting edge. I call this barber negligence.
What Is Hiv And How Is It Transmitted
HIV is a virus that attacks the bodys immune system. It can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen, or other bodily fluids. It can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
There are several ways in which you can contract HIV:
Sexual contact: This includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person, even if there are no symptoms present.
Blood transfusions: If you receive a blood transfusion from someone who is infected with HIV, you can contract the virus.
Sharing needles: If you share needles with someone who is infected with HIV, you can contract the virus. This is a common method of transmission among intravenous drug users.
Mother-to-child: If an infected mother has unprotected sex or shares needles with her partner, she can transmit HIV to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
While it is possible to contract HIV from any of these activities, it is important to remember that there are ways to prevent its spread. Use condoms during sexual activity, practice safe needle sharing if you are an intravenous drug user, and get tested for HIV regularly. If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about ways to prevent transmission to your child.
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What To Do If You Think You Have Been Exposed To Hiv
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV, contact a health care provider. There are options for prevention transmission after exposure!
PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is an HIV medical treatment that can be taken to prevent HIV-negative people from becoming infected.
PEP needs to be taken as soon as possible after you have been possibly exposed. Ideally within a couple hours, but it can be within the first 72 hour period after exposure. The sooner PEP is taken, the more likely it is to stop HIV infection.
It is also important to get tested. You can contact your local health department or doctor to get more information on testing and treatment options. There are also many organizations that provide free or low-cost HIV testing. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure if you have HIV.
If you test positive for HIV, there are treatments available that can prolong your life and improve your health.
With proper treatment, many people with HIV live long, healthy lives and can keep HIV at undetectable levels. Actually, with treatment, people living with HIV have the same life expectancy as the rest of the public. Weve come so far in these treatments and I think that is a great way to end this article.
Now, go, enjoy a nail, facial, or hair service! It is safe and self-care!
Can You Get Hiv From Barber Shop
Asked by: Zora Mitchell
A simple nick caused by clipper or razor blade is enough for infection to occur. Due to the lipid envelope that protects HIV from dehydration, the virus can survive on the surfaces of barbering instruments for a period long enough for transmission to occur, particularly in commercial barber shops.
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Has Anyone Got Hiv From A Nail Salon Barbershop Or Cosmetology Service
The answer is: maybe. In theory, it is possible to contract HIV from salon, cosmetology, nail, or barber services.
You likely have seen this headline:
Women Gets HIV from Nail Salon Manicure
Ive seen it too. But I also have read this Snopes article and now know the whole story. It wasnt at a salon. They believe the woman got HIV from sharing manicure equipment with an HIV-positive cousin she was living with .
This is the only case of someone contracting HIV from salon, cosmetology, nail, or barber services that we really know about.
So, while it is possible to contract HIV from salon, cosmetology, nail, or barber services- rest assured -it is very rare.
Just think of the thousands of hair, nail and skincare services that are going on just in the United States today. It is astounding! And this is the only salon case we know about. Ever.
Many barbers, cosmetologists, nail techs, and skincare specialists have training in HIV prevention and transmission.
Florida barbers and restricted barbers must take a 2-hour HIV course for Florida Barbers to get and renew their Florida barber license every two years. For the few barbers that do still shave customers, disposable razor blades and strong sanitation/sterilization procedures make HIV transmission via these services very, very difficult. HIV is actually a pretty weak virus outside the body.
Study Design And Settings
Across-sectional study was conducted among barbers and their barbershops in Gondar and Bahir Dar towns from January to June, 2010. Gondar and Bahir Dar cities are the major economical and administrative centers of Amhara Regional States of Ethiopia located 565 Km and 760 Km away from Addis Ababa, the nation capital, respectively and 180 Km far apart from each other. Bahir Dar and Gondar towns have an estimated total population of 256,999 and nearly 300, 000, respectively according to 2010 Central Statistical Authority of Ethiopia . Barbering is one of income generating activities for many urban youths in many parts of Ethiopia including the study areas.
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Knowledge Of Barbers Towards Sterilization And Disinfection And Awareness Of Hiv Transmission In Their Work Place
Ninety six of the respondents knew that HIV and other bacterial and fungal skin infections could be transmitted by sharing non-sterile sharp barbershop equipments. Out of one hundred twenty three barbers, 59 had the correct knowledge of what sterilization mean and 111 of them also believed that it is important being practiced in their work place. All were able to mention at least one disease which could be transmitted by using unsterilized sharp objects. Almost all 119 knew sterilization is important in their work place . However, their scored level of knowledge towards sterilization and disinfection as well as awareness in the transmission of HIV in their work place showed that 23 had excellent knowledge followed by 52 had good knowledge, 43 had fair knowledge, while the rest had poor 5 knowledge. All the barbers were aware of HIV/AIDS and they had a mean knowledge score of 6±1.5 out of a maximum score of 10 regarding sterilization and disinfection as well as in the transmission of HIV in their work place . However, using the Likert scaling, respondents had poor level of knowledge.
Table 3 Assessment of knowledge of barbers towards sterilization and disinfection as well as their awareness in the transmission of HIV in their work place of male barbershops of Gondar and Bahir Dar cities, 2010
What Are The Chances Getting Infected With Hiv At The Saloon
Answered by: Dr Pradeep Seth | Professor of Virology and Head, Department of Microbiology,and In-charge HIV/AIDS Reference Centre ,A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi
Q: Three days back I went to a saloon and got my beard shaved. I didn’t pay attention to whether he changed the blade. During the shave I asked him if he changed the blade or not. He said he changed the blade but still I had a doubt so yesterday I went to see if he changes the blade. I got hair on my armpit shaved. He does change the blade generally. I didn’t see any visible cut during the shave of beard or armpit. With the same hand he removes the blade and puts the fresh blade. I don’t know whether the previous person is infected. What are the chances of me getting infected? Should I go for HIV PCR test?
A:One should instruct the barbers not to use the same razor blade repeatedly. You should ensure that he changes the blade after every use. HIV infection is not spread through hands or fingers. In your case if the barber has used a new blade for you then the chances of acquiring HIV infection are almost negligible. If your barber had been using the same blade on many persons without cleaning the blade properly then the chances of transmission of HIV infection from one person to another will rise.PCR will be useful for detecting virus from 15th day onwards after acquiring infection.
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Demographic Characteristics Of Respondents
The ninety barbering sessions observed were carried out by 45 barbers. Table 1 shows the demographic and professional characteristics of the barbers, which were all males. The mean age was 36 years. There was preponderance of respondents that had secondary school education. The mode of learning of the art of barbering in the area is through apprenticeship spanning 2.0±0.8 years.
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Practice Of Sterilization And Disinfection Techniques
Ninety seven of them had ever practiced sterilization. Ninety-two barbers were currently using sterilization in their barbershop and among these 82 of them used direct flame, 2 dry heat oven, 1 boiling. Out of the 117 barbers who used disinfectants currently, 49 used ethanol, 17 used berekina and 44 were used no disinfectants. Eighty-eight of barbers didnt know the concentration of disinfectants they used. Respondents were asked whether any program of inspection was carried out in their settings and 91 of them responded as there was no any programme of inspection by pertinent bodies like municipality, health center, AIDS club in their respective towns . Almost all sterilization and disinfection procedures were riskily practiced according to Likert scaling.
Table 1 Assessment of sterilization and disinfection practices in male barbershops of Gondar and Bahir Dar cities, 2010
Sampling And Sample Size Determination
The source population for this study was all men barbershops of the Bahir Dar and Gondar cities. All men barbershops in these two cities were registered before the study and there were 267 barbershops. Considering 50% of the total coverage, 134 barbershops were selected for the study. The barbershops were stratified by geographic proximity and from each stratum barbershops were selected systematically using the sampling interval based on proportion. One barber was selected randomly for the interview in each barbershop if two or more barbers were available per a barbershop. Female barbershops and beauty salons, those unwilling to participate in the study, those who delivered incomplete data were excluded from the study.
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Hiv Transmission Through Hair Clippers: Experts Say No
Reports by various publications on a study by the Skin and Hair Research Laboratory at the University of Cape Town, which said that barber hair clippers can transmit HIV and Hepatitis B, have been refuted by medical experts.
Various publications, including IOLand Radio 702 , reported on the report in the South African Medical Journal, which analysed the hair clippers of barbers in three townships of Cape Town. It found that at least 42% were contaminated with blood. The media reports stated that the study showed risk of transmitting HIV and Hepatitis B, especially to those who have chiskops or clean shaven cuts .
The 702 report stated that the study found that the contamination of hair clippers with blood could theoretically increase the risk of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B.
The study sampled 50 barber shops from three Cape Town townships. The primary objective was to test used hair clippers for blood and viruses. The intention was to detect the prevalence of clipper contamination with blood, HIV and Hepatitis B on clean shaven haircuts or chiskops, and to investigate the cleaning methods used by the barbers.
The study found out despite the low levels of Hepatitis B DNA copies that were present in the clippers, this represented a possible theoretical healthcare risk. The study also said that it was not aware of any cases of HIV or Hepatitis B infections resulting from clipper use in its findings.
Featured Image via Flickr
Attitude Of Barbers Towards Sterilization And Disinfection
About 72 of the respondents strongly agreed that sterilization of sharp instrument is necessarily in their work place for safe practices against the transmission of HIV and other diseases. Regarding disinfection practices, majority 66 of them believed or responded as agree for the question disinfection is enough in the barbers work place to protect their clients from HIV and other transmissible diseases. Surprisingly, 3 of them disagreed for the question unsterile blade/equipment can transmit HIV and skin diseases . Likert scaling showed that none of the respondents had favorable attitudes towards sterilization and disinfection importance and availability.
Table 2 Assessment of attitudes of barbers towards sterilization and disinfection in male barbershops of Gondar and Bahir Dar cities, 2010
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