Actor Charlie Sheen's bombshell announcement on a US chat show that he was HIV positive may have had a massive public health benefit, research suggests.
After his confession on NBC's Today Show on November 17 last year, HIV-related Google searches in the US hit record levels.
The number of news reports mentioning the AIDS virus also soared.
Experts said the surge in awareness was likely to be a boost for public health.
Professor John Ayers, from San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health in the US, said: "Charlie Sheen's disclosure was a potential earth-shaking event for HIV prevention in the United States.
"While no-one should be forced to reveal their HIV status and all diagnoses are tragic, Sheen's disclosure may benefit public health by potentially helping many learn more about HIV and HIV prevention."
Sheen, who starred in the popular sitcom Two And A Half Men, was the highest-paid actor on television in 2010 but was fired a year later as his career was hit by reports of alcohol and drug abuse.
His public announcement that he had been diagnosed HIV positive four years earlier caused a sensation.
When assessing its impact, Prof Ayers' team found the disclosure coincided with the greatest number of HIV-related Google searches ever recorded on a single day in the US.
About 2.75 million more searches including the term "HIV" were made than expected, based on previous trends - a rise of 417 per cent.
In addition 1.25 million more searches than expected were made that included the terms "condoms", "HIV symptoms", and "HIV testing".
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