The BBC is today reporting concerns regarding disease transmission – Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B and HIV – associated with hygiene failures during high-street piercing outlets.

To offer a piercing service, outlets must register with the local environmental hygiene office and comply with various hygiene standards that extend to the layout of premises, training of staff in hygiene and other matters, and arrangements for disposal of used sharps. But inspections are few and far between and one might imagine that standards can sometimes be woefully inadequate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says growing numbers of people are injecting tanning agents, dermal fillers and Botox at home and in salons, and some are lax about hygiene. These beauty treatments go beyond piercing, and tattooing, which are, or should be, licenced activities, and sitting at the edge of regulation frequently include rather backstreet and thus unlicensed outfits where there is a risk from untrained providers, poor hygiene standards and thus of infection from the use of dirty needles.

Sharing needles can spread blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, and NICE is updating its advice for England and Wales accordingly. The guidelines, which are out for public consultation, aim to encourage people to use sterile needle and syringe programmes to stem the spread of infections. Fair enough, but we should make our voice heard regarding disposal of used sharps and drug residues.

As of today, the consultation documents should be available on the NICE web site. However, at the time of writing these are not yet available but please do check there later and make your voice heard to ensure the highest standard of sharps safety in a manner that is both safe and practicable.