Gold rush Britons warned off Olympic tattoos
Medal-winning British athletes could be at risk of serious infections from the trend of getting a tattoo to mark an Olympic win, warns the British Liver Trust. China has one of the highest infection rates of the Hepatitis B virus in the world, with between 10 -15% of the population carrying the killer liver disease. Tattoo needles are an easy way for the viruses to spread.
Imogen Shillito, Director of Communications at the British Liver Trust, said: “The UK’s amazing medal haul could spur athletes and fans to put themselves at risk of a life-threatening infection. The British Liver Trust is advising that they wait until they get back to the UK where they can be tattooed in a reputable studio to reduce the risk of a hepatitis infection.”
Athletes including swimmers Gergo Kis of Hungary and Amaurey Leveaux of France, and cycling’s Adam Duvendeck of America are all sporting Olympic tattoos to commemorate their part in the games.
China has recently begun a programme of vaccinating children against the Hepatitis B virus. This is beginning to show results. The World Health Organisation advises that all nations have full vaccination programmes. But the UK has no programme in place, so many UK visitors to the Olympics are unprotected.
Hepatitis B is 50 times more infectious than HIV and can survive for a week in dried blood. The World Health Organisation estimates that 350 million people are infected worldwide while 170 million people are estimated to be infected with Hepatitis C.
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For further information please contact:
Nerys Case
Phone: 01425 481 320
Out of hours: 07939 960 420
Email: pressoffice@britishlivertrust.org.uk
Email: nerys.case@britishlivertrust.org.uk
Web: www.britishlivertrust.org.uk
British Liver Trust, 2 Southampton Road,
Ringwood, BH24 1HY
Images of Olympian’s tattoos can be found at:
Editor’s Note:
1. The World Health Organisation’s report on hepatitis B, including surveillance data covering China can be found at this link: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/HepatitisB_whocdscsrlyo2002_2.pdf
2. The British Liver Trust is Britain’s only national liver disease charity for adults. We work to improve the lives of people suffering from liver disease with key roles in education, support and research.
3. Liver disease is one of the UK’s five ‘big killers’ and the only one on the rise. The Trust is working urgently to encourage prevention and investment in treatment and care for people with liver disease. Much of the increasing incidence of liver disease stems from lifestyle trends – relating to alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis. However, liver disease has many other causes including genetics, abnormalities in the immune system and even the medicines we take. The Trust is working to raise awareness about the liver and combat the stigma associated with liver disease.
The Trust provides a comprehensive website www.britishlivertrust.org.uk, free medical helpline – 0800 652 7330, and distributes a wide range of information leaflets to individuals and healthcare professionals. In addition, the Trust is a contact point for support groups nationwide, as well as co-ordinating funding and providing support for research. |