MEERUT: A 22-year-old man and his wife — both tattoo artists in UP’s Bulandshahr — have tested HIV positive, with health officials suspecting the infection may have been linked to unsafe tattooing practices, including tattoos they inked on themselves using contaminated equipment.According to officials, the man and his wife used to make tattoos at local fairs and markets along the roadside. Both also have several tattoos on them. Officials pointed out that at least 14 people in Bulandshahr have tested HIV positive over the past two years, with investigations indicating unsafe tattooing as the likely source of infection.District tuberculosis officer Dr Hemant Rastogi told TOI Sunday: “Their family is into tattoo art. The young man had been experiencing illness and rapid weight loss for the past six months. After consulting doctors, he was referred to the district’s Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre, where he tested positive. He has since been admitted to the district’s Antiretroviral Therapy Centre for specialised treatment.” Rastogi added: “Following contact testing, his wife and children were screened. The wife also tested HIV positive, while the children are safe. Both patients have no other apparent risk factors, and the infection is suspected to have been contracted through the use of an infected tattoo needle.”Meanwhile, CMO Dr Sunil Dohare said unsafe tattooing practices, particularly by unlicensed roadside tattoo artists who may reuse needles or fail to sterilise equipment, can transmit blood-borne infections such as HIV.
