December 15, 2023
EDMONTON – Alberta Health Services (AHS) is advising all individuals who received manicure or pedicure services at Sensation Nails (101-4807 44 Avenue) in Stony Plain between September 1, 2021 and December 14, 2023 be tested for bloodborne viruses that can be spread through reused instruments that are not adequately cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized.
“To prevent the spread of infection from one person to another, reuseable equipment used for manicures and pedicures must be cleaned, disinfected and sterilized according to health standards,” says Dr. Michael Zakhary, Medical Officer of Health for the Edmonton Zone of AHS.
“This particular nail salon wasn’t following proper disinfection practices, meaning individuals who received manicures or pedicures during the above date range may have potentially been exposed to bloodborne viruses including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV.”
All potentially affected individuals are asked to call their physician to arrange for simple, confidential testing. These individuals may also call Health Link at 811 on a 24/7 basis to discuss testing, or with any questions or concerns.
As the operator was unable to provide AHS with a comprehensive client list, AHS is required to notify at-risk clients via this public advisory. Only those clients who received manicure and pedicure services are impacted by this advisory; those clients who received waxing services do not need to arrange testing.
The breach was discovered during a routine, scheduled inspection by AHS Environmental Public Health. This inspection revealed disinfection violations, among other concerns. As such, a closure order was issued to Sensation Nails on December 14, 2023. Additional information is available at: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eph-be-spa-safe.pdf.
To confirm that any Edmonton Zone personal services business is inspected, individuals can ask the operator for their most current health inspection report or call Edmonton Zone Environmental Public Health at 1-833-476-4743 or visit https://ephisahs.albertahealthservices.ca/create-case/.
To protect patient privacy and confidentiality, AHS cannot provide further detail relating to the individuals impacted.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
