Social media post shows misleading STD numbers for Houston

Social media posts caught the attention of Houstonians after claiming more than 46,000 people in the city were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease in one week, but the Department of Health says that’s inaccurate.

The viral screenshot was reposted by others on social media, including Spiritual Word on Instagram. It presented a summary of STD activity reported Monday, with numbers for each illness in columns titled “last week” and “average.”

The screenshot read: “This is the number of people diagnosed with STDs in Houston last week. Be careful on these streets.

However, the Houston Health Department said in a statement that these numbers do not relate to diagnoses. The numbers were actually lab tests reported by the state, whether positive or negative. Statewide, about 1.2 million HIV tests and 1.6 million syphilis tests are performed each year, according to the Department of Health.

“The message contains grossly exaggerated figures and incorrect information,” the statement said.

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Allies of Hope CEO Jeffery Campbell said he knew the social media claim was false when he learned it was circulating online. Campbell has worked for the Houston nonprofit for 23 years and fights the stigma behind HIV and STDs to help residents live safely with their sexuality.

“I saw some of the comments that people posted that were attached to the post (on social media), and they were not good comments,” he told the Chronicle. “The individuals seemed to readily believe that the (diagnoses) were true and immediately began doing what I call ‘fingering’…speaking about people in a judgmental tone. »

Negative attitudes toward people at risk of or living with HIV and STDs can affect communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, Campbell said. He believes misinformation and data exposed online will make people less likely to want to get tested.

“Some people tend to easily believe anything even remotely related to these communities,” he added.

Health Department officials said the intention behind sharing the screenshot may have been to communicate a public health message, but sharing the data was a policy violation that created confusion and misled the public.

As of Friday, Spiritual Word’s repost of the photo had more than 70,000 likes and 10,000 comments on Instagram. Some TikTokers also shared their posts while telling others to be careful or be grateful to be single.

“This is what happens when you disobey God’s Word and ignore His plan to follow your own lustful desires,” Spiritual Word said in its comments section. The message was still online Friday.

Campbell said education about HIV and STD transmission is needed to ensure people don’t spread misinformation online. Knowledge of how to prevent transmissions and treatments will help people who are unfamiliar with the subject.

“We need to continue to seize opportunities like this, educate people, bust the myths, undo the stigma and encourage people to take care of their sexual health,” he said.

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Campbell also encourages sexually active people to get tested, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race or ethnicity. There is PREP – pre-exposure prophylaxis – for people who have tested negative for HIV to reduce the risk of contracting HIV through sex or injection drug use, according to the CDC. There are also options for those who have tested positive for HIV, including treatment as a preventative measure, or U=U, which refers to an undetectable viral load having “effectively no risk” of transmitting HIV to their loved ones. HIV-negative sexual partners, according to the CDC. .

The Health Ministry has opened an investigation into the screenshot circulating online and plans to include more security measures to prevent future incidents.

“The Houston Health Department deeply regrets the misuse of a data system that violated its policies and procedures intended to protect public health,” the statement said.