MicroFleek in Chatham flagged over disinfection failures spanning 15 months

Chatham-Kent Public Health has identified inadequate equipment disinfection practices at MicroFleek, a nail salon at 584 Queen St. in Chatham, and says clients treated between Dec. 1, 2024, and March 6, 2026, may have been exposed to blood-borne infections.

The health unit's advisory covers a 15-month window of services. It warns that insufficient infection control procedures can raise the risk of transmitting blood-borne infections such as HIV or hepatitis, as well as bacterial or fungal infections of the skin or nails.

MicroFleek told CBC News it was unavailable to comment on the matter at this time.

Who needs to act, and how fast?

Anyone who received services at the salon during the exposure period is advised to contact their health-care provider. Individuals without a primary care provider should visit a walk-in clinic for evaluation.

No specific infections, case counts or diagnoses appear in the health unit's notice — the advisory rests on the disinfection failure itself, not on confirmed transmission. For affected clients, the practical step is a medical assessment that can include screening for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, all of which can be asymptomatic for years.

What does this mean for salon operators?

The MicroFleek notice is a working reminder of what public health units actually inspect: instrument disinfection and sterilization records, not marketing or pricing. A single finding of improper disinfection was enough to trigger a public advisory naming the business, its address and a 15-month client-recall window.

For salon owners, the cost calculus is straightforward. Autoclaves, hospital-grade disinfectants, single-use files and buffers, and documented cleaning logs cost a fraction of what a public exposure advisory does in lost bookings and reputational damage.

Frontline staff should treat every instrument that breaks skin — even micro-abrasions from cuticle work or callus removal — as a potential blood-borne pathway. That means:

• Sterilizing or single-using all metal instruments between clients
• Discarding porous files, buffers and pedicure liners after one use
• Logging disinfection cycles so records exist if an inspector asks
• Hand hygiene and glove changes between every client

Chatham-Kent Public Health has issued similar infection-control warnings before, including a recent notice concerning a skin clinic in the same region — a sign the unit is actively enforcing personal-service settings protocols across the county, not just nail bars.

What happens next?

Watch for two data points: whether Chatham-Kent Public Health confirms any infections linked to the MicroFleek exposure window, and whether the salon faces orders, fines or closure under the health unit's inspection powers. Clients treated at 584 Queen St. between Dec. 1, 2024, and March 6, 2026, should book their medical assessment now rather than wait for symptoms.