iStockphoto / Hugo Quiroga
On the one hand, the US Government banning TikTok in the United States represents a new level of censorship that we are unaccustomed to in this country. But on the other hand, TikTok has proven once again that it is capable of creating mass hysteria in the United States as many are now needlessly fearful of contracting chlamydia at the gym.
It is a trend on TikTok that dates back to last year. According to Metro, TikTok videos of fearful people cleaning equipment to avoid catching chlamydia at the gym can be traced back to this one from last March:
@itsreallynando Ya know what im talking about 🤣 (prework fueled by @bloomnu )
The rise of videos from people posting captions about them cleaning gym equipment in order to avoid contracting chlamydia has led to some real-life doctors like this ER doctor clearing up the confusion. Chlamydia is an STI/STD, it is spread through sexual activity, and not through surface contact. If the latter was the case it would be a LOT more prevalent in society:
@drjoe_md Dirty gym equipment can harbor harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can cause a range of infections. Common illnesses include skin infections like staph or MRSA, fungal infections like athlete’s foot or ringworm, and viral infections such as warts caused by HPV. If gym-goers touch contaminated surfaces and then their face, they may even risk illnesses like the common cold or flu. Cleaning equipment before use and washing hands after workouts can help reduce these risks. #stayhealthy #FitnessTips #WorkoutTips #HealthAwareness #FitnessHacks
He astutely points out that MRSA, ringworm, and other fungal infections are an actual concern at the gym. So wiping down gym equipment before/after use is always advised. I learned this first-hand last Summer and caught a bacterial infection at the gym. It was the first time in my life I ever had it and I’d thought it was a mosquito bite that wouldn’t heal for a few weeks until a friend pointed out that it looks like ringworm, which he’d caught at a different gym and had just finished treating.
It was at that point that I flew into a panic thinking there were literal worms inside my body. I was unaware that ringworm is named for the shape of the skin marks and not because there are actual worms. This goes to show that if you’re like me and spend most of your life in fear of germs that you’ll manage to make it to being middle-aged before you deal with your first skin infection.
To really suss out threat level of catching chlamydia at the gym, Metro spoke with a doctor who told them “In almost all scenarios, the likelihood of contracting chlamydia from gym equipment is effectively zero. The bacterium responsible for chlamydia does not survive well outside the human body and is sensitive to environmental exposure. Even in the hypothetical situation where someone sat commando on a gym stool, left bodily fluids behind, and someone else wiped their face with a contaminated towel, the risk of transmission would still be negligible. The bacteria need a warm, moist environment and direct contact with mucous membranes to spread.”
It doesn’t require a PhD. in Rocket Science to imagine where this ‘you can catch chlamydia from gym equipment’ rumor came from… I imagine the first person to share this wasn’t a very good liar and had just come from the gym or was a gym rat. Infidelity at play. One thing led to another and whoever (not the people from the videos above) came up with the lie told one person who told another person, so on and so forth. That’s the most likely scenario but who knows, maybe someone somewhere did actually catch chlamydia from the gym despite doctors claiming the likelihood is nearly zero.
On the TikTok-induced hysteria front, the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on January 10th before the Chinese-owned social media network is set to be banned in the United States. Only time will tell what happens there.