New Mexico

New HIV case linked to $100 ‘Vampire facial’ procedure at unlicensed New Mexico spa

Published

1 year ago

July 7, 2023

New HIV case linked to 0 ‘Vampire facial’ procedure at unlicensed New Mexico spa

A person recently diagnosed with HIV is believed to have contracted the virus during a “vampire facial” procedure at a since-shuttered New Mexico spa.

The former customer’s only self-reported HIV exposure risk was the special vampire or PRP facial — in which a person’s blood is drawn and then parts of the blood are reinjected into the skin via micro-needling — from VIP Spa in Albuquerque in 2018, the New Mexico Department of Health said.

The spa was shut down in September 2018 after the DOH and the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department found it had been conducting business in a way that risked the spread of blood-borne infections such as HIV.

Performing vampire facials requires a medical license, and the spa’s owner, Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz, only had a cosmetologist license, which had expired in 2013, state investigators found, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 59, has been charged with racketeering, fraud, five counts of practicing medicine without a license, six counts of money laundering, four counts of tax evasion and seven counts of willful failure to collect and pay taxes.

Following the investigation, more than 100 former VIP Spa clients were tested for HIV and other infections between 2018 and 2019.

Two of the tests came back positive for HIV and those infected had received vampire facials.

The two people told investigators they paid $100 for the vampire facial, the Journal reported.

Due to the new 2023 HIV case, the health department has reopened its investigation into VIP Spa and has identified additional new HIV infections related to services received there.

Health officials did not specify how many new infections their probe discovered.

VIP Spa vampire facial and botox clients were urged to get tested after new HIV cases were detected.

KRQE

The department is recommending anyone who received any injected-related procedure, including a vampire facial or Botox, at VIP Spa be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Health officials said former clients who were tested before should be retested as well — even if they had tested negative previously.

“It’s very important that we spread the word and remind people who received any kind of injection-related to services provided at the VIP Spa to come in for free and confidential testing,” said Dr. Laura Parajon, deputy secretary for DOH.

Ramos de Ruiz, the owner of the spa, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

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New Mexico

Toxic fumes sicken 20 workers at New Mexico cheese plant

Published

8 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Investigators are trying to determine what caused a mechanical failure that resulted in 20 workers inhaling toxic fumes at a cheese manufacturing plant in eastern New Mexico.

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office reported that more than a dozen workers were transported to area hospitals by ambulances and private vehicles Monday morning after acid mixed with chlorine to create the fumes. Two of the workers were listed in critical condition.

Crews responded after a strong smell was reported at the Southwest Cheese plant. A hazardous materials crew with the Clovis Fire Department helped to clear the scene and production resumed later that morning.

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Southwest Cheese said in a statement issued Monday that early investigation indicated the cause of the incident was a chemical overflow that occurred due to a mechanical failure in one room at the plant and that the vapors affected employees who were working close by.

The company said the affected area was quickly closed off per its incident response plan.

Southwest Cheese has been operating since 2005. It processes billions of pounds of milk every year, producing more than 588 million pounds (266,712 metric tons) of block cheese and more than 36 million pounds (16,329 metric tons) of whey protein powders.

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New Mexico

Yesway opens five new Allsup's stores in Texas and New Mexico

Published

16 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

Yesway opens five new Allsup's stores in Texas and New Mexico

Yesway opens a new Allsup’s store in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Credit: Yesway/PR Newswire.

US-based convenience store chain Yesway has launched five new Allsup’s sites across Texas and New Mexico.

Yesway acquired Allsup’s Convenience Stores in November 2019.

In Texas, the new Allsup’s stores are located at 2450 Southeast Access Road, Mount Vernon; 9704 Highway 87, Lubbock; and 100 East US Highway 67, Keene.

Meanwhile, New Mexico will get new stores at 8951 Mountain Vista Parkway, Las Cruces, as well as 3075 W Main Street, Farmington.

These new stores are large-format, each covering 6,277ft² and operating 24 hours a day.

They offer a wide range of products, including Allsup’s “World Famous” burritos, private-label snacks, and fresh essentials such as Allsup’s bread, milk, and eggs.

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Additionally, most of these locations offer a variety of services such as a beer cave, Western Union services, ATMs, and facilities for cryptocurrency and digital currency transactions.

Yesway chief real estate officer Thomas Brown said: “We could not have achieved this swift pace of growth in 2024 without the relentless efforts and exceptional dedication of our talented teams. I extend our heartfelt thanks to every one of them.”

Including these new openings, Yesway now operates a total of 440 stores across nine states, namely Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, under the Yesway and Allsup’s brands.

In 2023, Yesway, secured $190m in equity for its expansion programme, with the capital used to build 28 stores that year. The company built 17 stores in 2022.