Whether it has any knowledge of diseases transmitted by body piercing undertaken in unhygienic conditions.

If body piercing is carried out in unhygienic conditions, local infections of surrounding skin and superficial tissues can be caused by a number of organisms. The possibility also exists that more serious infections including hepatitis B and C and HIV infection can be transmitted in this way. Where such infections occur it is not always clear what the transmission route has been. The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health is not aware of any cases in Scotland where it has been confirmed that a serious infection resulted from body piercing.