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Australian athletes who celebrate Olympic glory by getting a tattoo in Beijing risk bringing home more than a medal, infectious disease experts have warned. Hepatitis Australia notes that it has become a tradition for some athletes to get inked in the host country after the Games. But it warns the practice "seriously risks" the transmission of blood-borne diseases. "It's only natural our athletes will want to remember their achievements by getting a tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but tattooing involves risks which many people don't realise," said the organisation's chief executive, Helen Tyrrell. Hepatitis B and C can be easily transmitted via needles used to inject the ink below the skin's surface if they are not adequately sterilised. Other unsafe practices include dipping the tattoo needle into ink pots previously used for other customers, Ms Tyrrell said. "As one in 12 of the world's population has chronic hepatitis B or C and virtually one in two people under 30 have a tattoo, everyone would benefit from knowing more about the risks involved with tattooing," she said. China has one of the highest hepatitis B rates in the world, with about nine per cent of the population believed to be infected. Australia's rate is below one per cent. Australian athletes and tourists going to Beijing have been urged to get a hepatitis B vaccination, but no vaccination is available for hepatitis C. Both conditions are serious with often incapacitating symptoms and sometimes fatal outcomes, Ms Tyrrell said. "They kill 1.5 million people each year, but despite this, awareness of hepatitis B and C in Australia and worldwide is extremely low," She said. "Young people, in particular, have been shown to be largely ignorant of infection risks." http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=498158
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