Doctors clarify rumours on catching STIs from gym equipment following online panic

Being aware of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is, of course, of paramount importance - but there is a lot of disinformation out there, too.

While being hyper vigilant is key, platforms such as TikTok are renowned for spreading fake news and misinformation.

In recent times, a theory that it's possible to contract STIs as a result of using gym equipment has begun to circulate.

As a result, people have started to film themselves sanitising equipment such as bench presses and rowing machines to 'protect' themselves. And while sanitisation in the gym is never a bad idea, the actual facts behind the trend aren't as clear cut.

One video, with over 250,000 views, shows someone sanitising all the equipment they approach along with the text: "Me after hearing people are getting ringworm, chlamydia and pink eye at the gym."

One person commented: "This is why I bought gym equipment and workout at home," as another said: "I clean the equipment so much someone asked if I worked there."

The hysteria stems from TikToker @grinny45, who in 2023 claimed that his chlamydial conjunctivitis diagnosis could only be traced back to gym equipment being used by people not wearing underwear beneath their gym kit.

He recounted: "[The doctor] goes, 'Mate, you’ve just been doing the nasty'. I said, 'Listen, I haven’t slept with anyone in three months, four months' and he was actually in shock too.

"He goes, 'Well, you look like a big boy. Do you go to the gym? Chances are that someone has sweated on the seat, you’ve put down your gym towel, wiped your face, and gotten pink eye'."

Now, an expert has weighed in.

Metro asked Dr Suzanne Wylie, a medical advisor for IQdoctor, about the likelihood of such an infection being caught in this way.

She said to the outlet: "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."

While that's good to know, other things can spread.

Wylie added: "When it comes to fungal infections, athlete’s foot and ringworm can spread through contaminated surfaces like mats and locker room floors.

"Bacterial Infections like Staphylococcus aureus (staph infection), including MRSA, can survive on gym equipment and cause skin infections through cuts or abrasions.

"And viral infections like warts caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and even the common cold or flu viruses can spread through shared surfaces."