A leading doctor has weighed in on viral social media claims that it’s possible to contract chlamydia from touching gym equipment.
Fears were first raised by a TikTok user who claimed he contracted the infection at the gym after wiping his eye with a towel that was placed on a seat.
User @grinny45 initially visited his doctor complaining of ‘pink eye’ — also known as conjunctivitis, a benign minor infection of the eyelid.
Tests revealed the cause was chlamydia. As the creator hadn’t been sexually active, the doctor asked if he worked out often — to which he answered yes.
‘Chances are someone has sweated on the seat you put your gym towel [on], wiped your face and [got] pink eye,’ his doctor allegedly told him.
In a reaction video viewed almost 10 million times another user, @alaskaaayoung77, blames ‘women going commando in the gym’ for the phenomenon.
Others have responded by posting clips in which they extensively clean gym equipment before using them, citing fears of ‘eye chlamydia’ as the reason.
Now Dr Joe Whittington, who has more than three million followers across social media has offered his medical verdict — and offered an alternative explanation.
A leading doctor has weighed in on viral social media claims that it’s possible to contract chlamydia from touching gym equipment
In a reaction video viewed almost 10 million times another user, @alaskaaayoung77, blames ‘women going commando in the gym’ for the phenomenon
In an Instagram Reel that’s been viewed 638,000 times since it was posted two days ago, Dr Joe — as he is known — poses the question: ‘Can you really get chlamydia from gym equipment?’
The emergency medic continues: ‘Well, we all know it’s primarily spread through doing the deed, not through casual contact or touching surfaces.
‘So unless you’re doing something very unusual with those gym machines, you’re safe.’
Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in the UK with chlamydia, caused by bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis, by far top of the list.
The bug is passed through contact, via vaginal, anal or oral sex most — and spread often occurs as people don’t show any symptoms and therefore don’t get tested.
However, according to sexual health experts at SH:24, concerns that it could be passed on via gym equipment or towels are unfounded.
‘Chlamydia is passed on through sexual contact, like oral, vaginal or anal sex,’ it summarises.
‘It can also be passed on by sharing sex toys. You cannot get chlamydia from kissing, hugging, towels, or toilet seats, as the bacteria cannot survive outside the body for long.’
Fears were first raised by a TikTok user who claimed he contracted the infection at the gym after wiping his eye with a towel that was placed on a seat
Despite this, Dr Joe adds there are infection that could potentially be passed on via surfaces at the gym.
‘You do have to worry about MRSA, ringworm and skin warts, so make sure you wipe down the equipment before you use it.’
Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency reported that there were 401,800 new STIs diagnosed in England in 2023, up 4.7 per cent year on year.
The sharpest rise was among children aged 13 and 14, where the number was up by almost a fifth (19.5 per cent) to 459.
This was followed by pensioners aged 65 and over, with new cases soaring by 18.2 per cent to 2,885.
Some Britons are engaging in risky unprotected sex after meeting on dating apps while others are starting new sexual relationships after getting divorced or being widowed in old age.
Concerns have also been raised about children copying what they see in pornography, freely accessed on their mobile phones.
There was a huge drop in STI infections during the Covid pandemic followed by a boom, as people began returning to normal sexual activity.
However, rates are still below what they were pre-pandemic.