魚療可傳染HIV等病毒

Fish foot spa pedicures could spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, health experts have warned.

健康專家警告足部魚療可傳染HIV和丙肝等疾病。

The government’s Health Protection Agency said those with diabetes, psoriasis or a weak immune system are particularly vulnerable and should not take part in the beauty craze at all.

政府健康防護部門表示患有糖尿病、牛皮癬或者抵抗力較差人羣容易感染，建議不要盲目趕潮流。

In new guidance to be published today, they said the risk of infection for users of the increasingly popular treatment, in which dozens of tiny fish nibble dead skin from customers' feet, is ‘low but could not be completely excluded’.

新指南說魚療愈加流行，感染病毒的機率很低但不能完全排除。

The agency says fish tank water contains micro-organisms and believes problems could arise from bacteria being transmitted by the pedicure’s garra rufa fish, from the spa water itself or from one customer to another if the water is not changed.

魚缸的水裏有微生物，魚和水會傳染病毒，若不換水，病毒會在顧客間傳染。

If a user is infected with a blood-borne virus like HIV or hepatitis and bleeds in the water, there is a risk the diseases could be passed on.

有HIV或肝炎等病的顧客若在水中流血，就會傳染別人。

According to the agency’s guidance, the risk is ‘extremely low’ but it ‘cannot be completely excluded’.

機率“非常低”，但“絕對可能”。

The HPA has recommended that spa water is changed after each client.

The equipment cannot be conventionally sterilized because the process could harm the fish, of which there are about 200 in every tank.

健康防護部門建議魚療後換水。無法消毒魚缸因爲會傷害魚。

The pedicures - which have long been popular in Asia where the fad began - have been banned in some U.S. states, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Washington, due to fears that infections could spread through open wounds.

魚療源於亞洲，盛行已久，美國某些州鑑於傳染病可通過開放性創口傳播而禁止魚療，如佛羅里達，德克薩斯，新罕布什爾和華盛頓州。

The trend, which is meant to leave clients with smooth and attractive feet, has spread to beauty salons across the country and there are now around 280 fish spas in the UK.

魚療因美化光滑足部而風行英國，目前約有280家。

A spokeswoman for HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust said: ‘The risk of picking up infections is minimal but people must be careful where they choose to go.’

Terrence Higgins HIV慈善信託的女發言人說：“儘管魚療感染傳染病機率很小，仍要小心。”

Earlier this year BBC presenter Emily Maitlis tried out the latest beauty treatment. Here is what she thought of it.

今年年初，BBC的Emily Maitlis嘗試魚療並分享她的感受。

Does that sound gross? You bet. Does ?45 sound like a lot of money to be eaten alive? You bet. Am I dying to have a go? Of course I am.

怎麼樣？45磅貴嗎？我想試試。Here, there are rules forbidding broken skin, cuts and bites and I am relieved just to pass the test. I am smiling and relaxed as I pad up to the banquette behind the fish tank.

規定有劃傷和咬傷不得入內，檢查後，我就等着。

I am chatting as I slip off the spa slippers and plunge my feet into the tank. But nothing prepares me for what comes next. Dozens of little mouths - like suction pads - head for your feet. You look down and see a swarm covering everything below the ankles, while the really cheeky ones dive between your toes, under your nails and flicker up your instep. I feel as if I'm being vacuumed.

邊閒聊邊脫鞋，腳放進魚缸，但我沒想到---十幾只小嘴---像十幾只吸盤---附在腳上，腳踝以下都是魚，有的在腳趾、腳指甲和腳背上游來游去，感覺像真空的。

It has been described as a tickling sensation and a light massage but make no mistake - you are bait. It is such a bizarre sensation that I start to giggle.

聽說是有點癢的輕微按摩---人腳是魚餌。奇妙感覺叫人不禁發笑。

It takes me a good ten minutes before I am able to glance down at my feet without wanting to whisk them out. After 20 minutes in the water, the novelty (and indeed the skin) has started to wear off.

十分鐘後方能看腳上有魚。20分鐘死皮就掉了。

Afterwards my skin feels vaguely softer but not very different. And if chunks were taken out of my toes, well, the munchers have covered their tracks pretty well.

感覺腳柔軟了，但沒特別大變化，若掉了大塊死皮，魚療後也看不出來。

But if you ask me if it was therapeutic, I'd have to say yes. I haven't laughed like that in ages.

若問我是否有療效，我覺得有，我好幾年沒那麼笑過了。

Dr Hilary Kirkbride, consultant epidemiologist at the HPA, said: ‘Provided that good standards of hygiene are followed by salons, members of the public are unlikely to get an infection from a fish spa pedicure, however the risk will be higher for certain people.’

HPA流行病顧問學家Hilary Kirkbride博士說：“若衛生達標就不太會染病，但某些人就可能。”

Dr Kilbride said salons should first check their clients have no underlying health conditions that could put them at risk, and thoroughly examine their feet to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or infectious skin conditions.

應先檢查客人有沒有傳染病，確定足部沒有傷口、擦傷或傳染性皮膚病。

Dr Paul Cosford, the HPA’s director of health protection services, added: ‘If a member of the public is concerned about the level of cleanliness of a salon they visit, they should report this to their local environmental health department.’

HPA健康防護服務主管Paul Cosford博士補充：“人們應向當地環境保健部門報告。”