Perth woman’s horror after visit to Thai fish spa left her foot with flesh-rotting infection that required her toes to be amputated

[webfact]

HOLIDAY FROM HELL 

Woman’s horror after visit to Thai fish spa left her foot with flesh-rotting infection that required her toes to be amputated

Victoria Curthoys, 29, caught a dangerous infection that seeped into old surgery wounds during a fish foot spa treatment in Thailand

By Corey Charlton

 

Victoria Curthoys, 29, caught an infection at a fish foot spa in Thailand//VICTORIA CURTHOYS / MDWFEATURES

 

A WOMAN'S indulgent Thai holiday spa turned into a living nightmare when an infected fish tank led to all five toes being amputated on her right foot.

 

Property manager Victoria Curthoys, 29, initially received an infection in her big toe after treading on glass, resulting in doctors amputating half of her toe to kill the infection. Four years later, while on holiday in Thailand in 2010, Victoria used one of the ever-popular fish spas whereby small freshwater fish feed off and remove the foot’s dead skin.

 

The treatment gave Victoria, from Perth, Australia, another infection to the bone of her big toe with a water-borne bug only found in Thailand, which had seeped through her prior surgery wounds.

 

Full story: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/health-news/7247968/thailand-fish-spa-infection-skin-toes-amputated/

 

-- The SUN 2018-2018-09-14

[OneMoreFarang]

If she is smart she will learn from this experience. But then again if she would be smart she wouldn't have done it in the first place.

[ratcatcher]

So, was it the fault of the spa with the fish nibblers or her own fault for having an unhealed wound on her foot?

[PatOngo]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If she is smart she will learn from this experience. But then again if she would be smart she wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Yes, everyone knows the perils of spa's in Thailand before hand. It's in the TAT brochure!

[ratcatcher]

7 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Yes, everyone knows the perils of spa's in Thailand before hand. It's in the TAT brochure!

The perils of spas are multiplied when you, the customer, allow unhealed wounds to come into contact with unclean water.

Spas will now be required to ask if customers have any cuts or abrasions on the feet or other body parts they may contact.

" which had seeped through her prior surgery wounds."

 

[Bluespunk]

13 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

So, was it the fault of the spa with the fish nibblers or her own fault for having an unhealed wound on her foot?

After reading the linked story, I’m not sure it’s anyones fault to be honest, though the doctors taking a year to diagnose the problem didn’t help. 

[londonthai]

the story is from 2012 to 2016. Something is amiss, that she allowed her big toe to get infected for 6 months or that she carried infections from thailand for 4 years. 

In thailand she could get this infection anywhere, walking on the beach, on the wet, flooded pavement, which are dirty. But no chance of getting it in a clean spa environment. Fish come from a special breeding tanks.

these small fish don't spread disease, they are used as a cosmetic procedure, as well as medical one.

she sold story blaming the spa, but it was her negligence to ignore so many symptoms for so many years. Instead, she should blame doctors, for not caring proper check ups.

The Sun will sell more copies from this poor story, with bold capital and underlined letters HOLIDAY FROM HELL than nude girls from page 3

[mok199]

you may grow another inch or a ''foot'', but its impossible to grow another ''toe''

[Rhys]

... Those fish tanks need to go... all that dead tissue floating about in the water... eating diseased tissue...  Sorry for the Lass' plight...

[nodomino]

This whole account is fishy. Where is the evidence that fish in water being in proximity to humans is a danger to human health. Seems to me, it that we’re the case EVERYONE would be toeless.

[Lupatria]

Another ban for life in the making?

[masuk]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Yes, everyone knows the perils of spa's in Thailand before hand. It's in the TAT brochure!

the perils of spa's (sic)   ....  The tanks should have been clearly labelled 'PIRANHAS".

[soalbundy]

what happened to the fish ?

[PatOngo]

13 minutes ago, masuk said:

the perils of spa's (sic)   ....  The tanks should have been clearly labelled 'PIRANHAS".

….and the water labelled "Infected with a water-borne bug only found in Thailand".

[holy cow cm]

So she is pretty cute. Would you still be attracted to her with 1/2 a toe missing? defamation may be coming her way for calling Thai fish filthy. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

56 minutes ago, nodomino said:

This whole account is fishy. Where is the evidence that fish in water being in proximity to humans is a danger to human health. Seems to me, it that we’re the case EVERYONE would be toeless.

 

I've read past news reports unrelated to Thailand of fish spa customers getting infections from having their feet in the water during the treatment and the fish feeding on their skin. In the west, at least, I believe Health Departments actually have hygiene requirements that legitimate places are required to follow to avoid/minimize such things.

 

Here, as with so many things, it's the Wild West.

 

[manarak]

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

After reading the linked story, I’m not sure it’s anyones fault to be honest, though the doctors taking a year to diagnose the problem didn’t help. 

yes... the Sun spun the story to blame the Thai fish spa.

this story qualifies for "fake news"

[ronrat]

Normally it is the property manager taking and an arm and a leg

[metisdead]

Some troll posts have been removed. 

[bluesofa]

57 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

what happened to the fish ?

They were on the menu at the restaurant next door.

 

 

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

They were on the menu at the restaurant next door.

 

 

had their fins amputated first though

[fforest1]

Boy that was some kind of lab..If they knew the infection ONLY came from Thailand...

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, Rhys said:

... Those fish tanks need to go... all that dead tissue floating about in the water... eating diseased tissue...  Sorry for the Lass' plight...

Makes me think; are these tanks cleaned regularly? Perhaps the infection was the result of treatment of an earlier customer.

[ravip]

6 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Boy that was some kind of lab..If they knew the infection ONLY came from Thailand...

...may also be the reason for the doctors to take so long to diagnose!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Makes me think; are these tanks cleaned regularly? Perhaps the infection was the result of treatment of an earlier customer.

 

That's the health issue. The waters and tanks DO need to be cleaned and disinfected on some schedule, otherwise, there's the risk of these kinds of infections.  And obviously that risk increases for people who may have some cuts/wounds etc. on their feet that would allow the entry of bacteria.

 

From the U.S. CDC:
 

Quote

 

Currently, over 10 states have banned the use of fish pedicures.

Most of the bans are based on at least one of the following reasons:

• The fish pedicure tubs cannot be sufficiently cleaned between customers when the fish are present.
• The fish themselves cannot be disinfected or sanitized between customers. Due to the cost of the fish, salon owners are likely to use the same fish multiple times with different customers, which increases the risk of spreading infection.
• Chinese Chinchin, another species of fish that is often mislabeled as Garra rufa and used in fish pedicures, grows teeth and can draw blood, increasing the risk of infection.
• According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Garra rufa could pose a threat to native plant and animal life if released into the wild because the fish is not native to the United States.
• Fish pedicures do not meet the legal definition of a pedicure.
• Regulations specifying that fish at a salon must be contained in an aquarium.
• The fish must be starved to eat skin, which might be considered animal cruelty.

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/body/fish_pedicures.html

[lamyai3]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

what happened to the fish ?

Moved to an inactive bowl. 

[Enoon]

 

The actual "story" in the "Sun" reads as :

 

First toe infection from glass cut.

 

Second infection from fish.

 

Third infection through ulcers on feet (the poor treatment of which resulted in the most drastic amputations).

 

It is not inconceivable that the the original infection remained, latently, waiting for an opportunity.

 

But THAILAND gets the headline/blame.

 

Very "newsworthy" is.........THAILAND.

 

 

[terminatorchiangmai]

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

Another ban for life in the making?

No , but is see a new law been in the make for Spa's.

Release waivers and mandatory insurance for all clients.

[cmsally]

Holiday in Thailand in 2010 and previous toe amputation in 2006. This is a  bit of an old story.

[LomSak27]

5 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Spas will now be required to ask if customers have any cuts or abrasions on the feet or other body parts they may contact.

No they wont!