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State closes Millsboro home tattoo parlor; warns customers to be checked

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

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A Millsboro home tattooing parlor has been closed. File photo by Pexels.

 

 

The state has ordered a Millsboro man to stop tattooing people at his home, the Delaware Division of Public Health has reported.

Miguel Angel Garcia of 102 Nicoles Court in Millsboro has been issued a cease and desist order for conducting tattooing activities out of his residence without a required body art establishment permit.

Body art activities are only allowed in permitted facilities, partly to ensure properly cleaning the facility and tools, according to Title 16 of the Delaware Code.

Private residences are not properly equipped for these activities to be performed safely.

The unregulated tattoo parlor kept no client records. Therefore, Public Health cannot follow its normal protocol of contacting individuals by letter to ask them to seek medical testing for possible infections, so it’s using a press release and social media to warn people.

The state encourages anyone who may have received tattooing or other body art services at this location to contact their health care provider to be checked for diseases such as hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that may have been transmitted through the equipment.

Clients should tell the doctor about receiving a tattoo or piercing from an unregulated establishment, when it occurred and any symptoms since the visit.

Body art establishments regulated by the state inspected and must meet requirements for sanitation, proper disposal of needles, use of gloves and many other items. The permit is required to be posted in an obvious location.

Anyone who used home operation also may contact the DPH Bureau of Communicable Diseases at 302-744-1050 if they have questions about potential transmission risks.

When in doubt, DPH recommends seeking testing for HIV and hepatitis. It is possible to carry both those viruses for years without knowing it due to lack of symptoms. To learn more about free testing options, go to https://gettested.cdc.gov/.

 

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