鱼疗可传染HIV等病毒

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

健康专家警告足部鱼疗可传染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.

政府健康防护部门表示患有糖尿病、牛皮癣或者抵抗力较差人群容易感染，建议不要盲目赶潮流。

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’.

新指南说鱼疗愈加流行，感染病毒的几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.

鱼缸的水里有微生物，鱼和水会传染病毒，若不换水，病毒会在顾客间传染。

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或肝炎等病的顾客若在水中流血，就会传染别人。

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

几率“非常低”，但“绝对可能”。

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.

健康防护部门建议鱼疗后换水。无法消毒鱼缸因为会伤害鱼。

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.

鱼疗源于亚洲，盛行已久，美国某些州鉴于传染病可通过开放性创口传播而禁止鱼疗，如佛罗里达，德克萨斯，新罕布什尔和华盛顿州。

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.

鱼疗因美化光滑足部而风行英国，目前约有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慈善信托的女发言人说：“尽管鱼疗感染传染病几率很小，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尝试鱼疗并分享她的感受。

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.

怎么样？45磅贵吗？我想试试。

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.

规定有划伤和咬伤不得入内，检查后，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.

边闲聊边脱鞋，脚放进鱼缸，但我没想到---十几只小嘴---像十几只吸盘---附在脚上，脚踝以下都是鱼，有的在脚趾、脚指甲和脚背上游来游去，感觉像真空的。

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.

听说是有点痒的轻微按摩---人脚是鱼饵。奇妙感觉叫人不禁发笑。

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.

十分钟后方能看脚上有鱼。20分钟死皮就掉了。

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.

感觉脚柔软了，但没特别大变化，若掉了大块死皮，鱼疗后也看不出来。

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

若问我是否有疗效，我觉得有，我好几年没那么笑过了。

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流行病顾问学家Hilary Kirkbride博士说：“若卫生达标就不太会染病，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.

应先检查客人有没有传染病，确定足部没有伤口、擦伤或传染性皮肤病。

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健康防护服务主管Paul Cosford博士补充：“人们应向当地环境保健部门报告。”