ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Three foreign nationals working at women’s beauty salons in Erbil have tested positive for HIV, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday. A day earlier, Kurdish authorities shut down several salons and launched an investigation into unlicensed and illegal operations in the city, Rudaw has learned.
“Health teams identified three cases of [human immunodeficiency virus] HIV carriers infected with [acquired immunodeficiency syndrome] AIDS who were working in women's beauty salons,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that all three individuals were foreign nationals.
“The relevant parties have been informed and the necessary measures have been taken,” the statement added.
The ministry did not disclose the nationalities of the infected individuals or the names of the salons involved.
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system and if left untreated can lead to AIDS, a condition that significantly reduces the body’s ability to fight infections and disease.
Though HIV is primarily transmitted through sexual contact and exposure to infected blood, improperly sterilized tools in salons can also pose a transmission risk, particularly during procedures involving needles, razors, or other sharp instruments that may come into contact with bodily fluids.
The health ministry said the infections were detected during routine health checks of workers in public venues. It urged the public to only visit licensed salons and to check for visible health permits.
“You must visit authorized places and ask for health permits in public places,” the ministry said addressing citizens.
A day prior, an official source from the Erbil provincial administration, who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the three infected individuals had entered the Kurdistan Region illegally and are now subject to legal action.
The official also said that six or seven beauty salons were shut down after the detection of the HIV cases.
“The salons and their employees were under surveillance for a long time, and after a thorough investigation, they were all arrested and some of them were sent back to their country,” the official said.
In response to growing complaints from the public - especially those targeting salons operated by foreign nationals - the issuance of new licenses for beauty salons in Erbil has been suspended, the source added. Authorities also found that many salon workers lacked legal residency and did not have the required health permits.
