Be Smart with Body Art, an educational campaign informing students on the potential risks of piercings and tattoos, will be on campus Oct. 13. Representatives from UC Davis and Sacramento State will be at the Student Lounge at 11am.
UCD and Sacramento State have teamed up to address the lack of awareness with an innovative new multimedia campaign that educates young people about ways to prevent the spread of viral hepatitis C when getting tattoos or piercings.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is called a silent epidemic because people with acute HCV often have no symptoms or mild symptoms such as fatigue and body aches. Though, it is the much commonly spread disease through needles that have not been properly sterilized. About 75 to 80 percent of people infected with HVC, develop chronic HVC and increase their risk for liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Adolescents and young adults are in danger of HCV because of an “incredible lack of awareness and education regarding HCV,” according to research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting.
Research presented by UC Davis and Sacramento State showed that nearly 40 percent of college students believe that tattooing and piercing are unlikely to pose health risks.
“It’s so important to know what questions to ask when considering a tattoo. That knowledge goes a long way to help prevent disease transmission,” said FCC RN, Mary Smith
According to Be Smart with Body Art the most important questions to ask before receiving a piercing or tattoo are as followed:

-Do you use new needles?
-Do you use new ink caps for each client?
-Do you sterilize all equipment that may come in contact with blood?
-Do you wear single-use latex gloves?
-Do you cover fresh tattoos to prevent infection or hepatitis C virus transmission?