Three Women Contract HIV from Vampire Facials at Unlicensed New Mexico Spa: First Cosmetic Procedure-Related HIV Outbreak Identified

Albuquerque, New Mexico United States of America
An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that at least three women contracted HIV from the spa.
At least three women contracted HIV from vampire facials at an unlicensed spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The owner of the spa, Maria de Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz, was charged with practicing medicine without a license and is serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence.
The unlicensed spa, VIP Spa, was shut down in September 2018 after two clients tested positive for HIV following their procedures.
Vampire facials involve platelet-rich plasma microneedling procedures where a patient's blood is drawn and the plasma is injected into the face.
Three Women Contract HIV from Vampire Facials at Unlicensed New Mexico Spa: First Cosmetic Procedure-Related HIV Outbreak Identified

In a shocking turn of events, at least three women contracted HIV from receiving vampire facials at an unlicensed spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This marks the first time that cosmetic procedures have been associated with an HIV outbreak. Vampire facials involve platelet-rich plasma microneedling procedures where a patient's blood is drawn, spun down to separate out plasma from blood cells, and the platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the face with micrneedles. The unlicensed spa, known as VIP Spa, was shut down in September 2018 after two clients tested positive for HIV following their procedures. An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that at least three women contracted HIV from the spa. One woman did not learn she had HIV until she was hospitalized with an AIDS-related illness. The owner of the spa, Maria de Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz, was charged with practicing medicine without a license and is serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence. This incident highlights the importance of proper infection control practices in all medical and cosmetic procedures to prevent further outbreaks of this nature.


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Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Is it confirmed that all three cases of HIV were contracted from the same batch of plasma?
  • Was proper infection control followed during the procedures?
  • Were there any other potential sources of infection at the spa?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Three women contract HIV from dirty “vampire facials” at unlicensed spa

Ars Technica Beth Mole Thursday, 25 April 2024 21:37
  • Unique Points
    • At least three women contracted HIV from getting vampire facials at an unlicensed spa in Albuquerque called VIP Spa.
    • The first reported case was a woman between the ages of 40 and 50 who had a stage 1 acute HIV infection and had received a vampire facial in the spring of 2018.
    • Vampire facials are platelet-rich plasma microneedling procedures where a patient's blood is drawn, spun down to separate out plasma from blood cells, and the platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the face with micrneedles.
    • The owner Maria de Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz was charged with practicing medicine without a license and is serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
    • A second woman between the ages of 40 and 50 tested positive for HIV in fall of 2018, also had received a vampire facial in summer of 2018, and her infection was at stage 1.
    • Two more cases were identified in fall of 2021, both were sexual partners who had received three vampire facials each between spring and summer of 2018. Both had a stage 3 HIV infection (AIDS).
    • The woman diagnosed in fall of 2021 was found to have tested positive for HIV in a screen in 2016 but did not report being notified of the result.
    • Investigators were unable to determine precisely how the HIV infections spread at the facility due to unsanitary and contaminated conditions.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains a few inflammatory rhetorical elements and an appeal to authority, but no formal logical fallacies. The author describes the situation as 'dumbfounding' and 'unprecedented', which is inflammatory rhetoric. Additionally, the author cites health investigators and their findings without directly challenging or questioning them, which could be seen as an appeal to authority. However, these elements do not rise to the level of significant logical fallacies that would warrant a lower score.
    • ] Yikes — Five patients with links to the spa had viral genetic sequences that closely matched. Enlarge / Drops of the blood going onto an HIV quick test. Trendy, unproven "vampire facials" performed at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico left at least three women with HIV infections.
    • ] The investigation began when a woman between the ages of 40 and 50 turned up positive on a rapid HIV test taken while she was traveling abroad in the summer of 2018. She had a stage 1 acute infection. It was a result that was as dumbfounding as it was likely distressing.
    • The spa was quickly shut down, and the owner Maria de Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz, 62, was charged with practicing medicine without a license.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

90%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

How ‘vampire facials’ at an unlicensed spa left three women with HIV

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Fenit Nirappil Thursday, 25 April 2024 18:54
  • Unique Points
    • Three women contracted HIV after receiving vampire facials at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico.
    • At least two clients tested positive for HIV before their visits to the spa.
    • A third woman did not learn she had HIV until she was hospitalized with an AIDS-related illness.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (50%)
    The article is highly sensationalized and omits important details that would provide context for the reader. The author makes it seem like vampire facials are a common practice with numerous benefits when in reality, they are not widely used and have limited scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness.
    • Vampire facials gained attention in 2013 when Kim Kardashian posted photos on Instagram of her blood-smeared face after undergoing the procedure.
    • Public health officials spotlighted the New Mexico case to alert health providers and epidemiologists to a novel way HIV spreads.
    • . . . this marks the first known transmission of the virus through nonsterile cosmetic injection services.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

85%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Three people infected with HIV from cosmetic jabs at beauty salon in first cases of their kind, experts...

The Sun Isabel Shaw Thursday, 25 April 2024 17:25
  • Unique Points
    • Three women contracted HIV from needles used at a beauty spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    • The third woman was diagnosed with AIDS four years after her facial procedure.
  • Accuracy
    • Two more cases were identified in fall of 2021, both were sexual partners who had received three vampire facials each between spring and summer of 2018. Both had a stage 3 HIV infection (AIDS).
  • Deception (50%)
    The article is highly sensationalized and misleading. It uses fear-based language to grab readers' attention, such as phrases like
    • The VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico, closed its doors in September 2018 after two clients tested positive for HIV following the procedures.
    • THREE women contracted HIV from needles used at a beauty spa in the US which gave them "vampire facials", health officials have confirmed.
    • Two of the women were diagnosed with stage 1 HIV in 2018, just a few months after their respective beauty treatments. Most read in Health
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. It also uses a dichotomous depiction of the vampire facial procedure.
    • . . . it’s the first time US officials have recorded cases of people catching the blood-borne virus from dirty cosmetic injections.
    • The VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico, closed its doors in September 2018 after two clients tested positive for HIV following the procedures.
    • The owner of the VIP Spa pleaded guilty in June 2022 to five counts of practising medicine without a licence.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication