I have noticed “salons” in shopping centers in Tel Aviv that offer “treatments”
to remove dead skin from the feet by soaking them in water where little fish
live and eat. I have dry skin on my heels, but I wouldn’t set foot in such a
place. I wonder whether such fish carry bacteria that would be dangerous to
people, especially if they have weak immune systems. Could this be the
case, and if so shouldn’t the Health Ministry close them down or at least force
these establishments to post health warnings and maintain the water tanks
properly?
Z.M., Tel Aviv
Dr. Boaz Lev, associate director-general of the Health
Ministry, replies:
There have been no reported cases – at least I have not heard
of any either here or abroad – of health damage caused at fish pedicure salons.
Pond fish [such as tilapia, mullet and bream] can be dangerous if someone is
pricked by scales, gills and fins and gets a Vibrio vulnificus infection that
can be dangerous to people with weak immune systems, and we warn about this
every year. But tiny fish eating dead skin is an entirely different matter. If
we obtain new evidence to the contrary, we would change our policy.
Dr.
Kosta Mumcuoglu, a senior parasitologist at the Hebrew University’s microbiology
institute, comments:
Although I have not examined what is going on in these fish
pedicure salons, I think it is obvious that the Health Ministry should examine
what exactly is being done there and issue regulations regarding the way these
fish are used for treatment purposes. If the water in the fish tanks is not
changed regularly, there is a possible danger of customers being
infected.
In standing water that was used previously by someone else
there could be all kinds of bacteria, especially when the water is also heated.
I know that in Austria, for hygienic reasons, the tank water at these salons has
to be changed after every customer. The water could be chlorinated to reduce the
risk (if it does not interfere with the fish), but this may have some side
effects.
The use of fish for medical problems is called ichthiotherapy.
It has been known for hundreds of years in Turkey and India, for example, to
clean the skin of patients with the serious skin disease psoriasis – and other
conditions – and remove the hyperkeratotic parts of the skin. The fish are
brought to pools that are poor in organic material, so they are permanently
hungry and they will eat practically anything organic that falls into or enters
the pool.
One usually takes some risks when undergoing treatment for a
medical condition, and this includes secondary infections, but why do so for
pleasure or for cosmetic purposes?
Why does Magen David Adom continue to prevent
British citizens from giving blood – many years after it was discovered that
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”) can be transmitted
via the blood supply? The outbreak occurred in the UK and other parts of Europe
so long ago. Can’t the prion that causes it be identified in the blood of people
who actually have it? And why are homosexuals not allowed to give blood, now
that the “window” identifying HIV infection but before the virus shows have has
been narrowed so much. I understand that the US Food and Drug Administration is
seriously considering changing its rules regarding homosexual blood
donations.
A.C., Jerusalem
Prof. Eilat Shinar, head of MDA’s blood
services, replies:
Policy about donation of blood by homosexuals is going to be
discussed in the upcoming meeting of the Health Ministry’s advisory committee on
transfusion medicine. We will announce any changes after that
meeting.
Regarding the British, there is not yet a test to detect the
agent causing CJD in blood donations, therefore at present, the only way to
reduce the transfusion-transmitted risk of this disease is to defer donors from
the UK. We all await the development of a test.
Rx for Readers welcomes
queries from readers about medical problems. Experts will answer those we find
most interesting. Write Rx for Readers, The Jerusalem Post, POB 81, Jerusalem
91000, fax your question to Judy Siegel-Itzkovich at (02) 538-9527, or email it
to jsiegel@jpost.com, giving your initials, age and place of residence.
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