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Monday, June 22, 2026

Fact check: False claim that sexually transmitted diseases were made in a lab - USA TODAY

The claim: These STDs were made in a lab and can be easily eliminated from the body

Sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prenvetion.

But a post on social media claims those diseases are more easily treated than generally thought.

"Aids, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, recurrent vaginal infections and any other diseases that they made in the lab can be easily eliminated from the body," reads a Jan. 11 Facebook post. "Alot (sic) of healers know that for a fact."

The post received more than 500 likes and 200 shares in two days.

That's not true. Research shows the listed STDs had natural origins, and USA TODAY found no evidence they were created in a lab. Two of the diseases remain in the body forever, though treatments exist for all four, experts say.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

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The origins of STDs

Though research into the histories of the listed STDs is ongoing, USA TODAY found no evidence any of them were manufactured in labs.

HIV

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a type of lentivirus, meaning it targets the immune system, according to the American Public Health Association. The last stage of HIV is AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Though the virus was identified in the 1980s, researchers have since discovered that simian immunodeficiency...



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