Charlie Sheen's revelation that he's HIV positive apparently raised awareness about the disease, and a John Hopkins study has the numbers to prove it. The researchers described the impact as the "Charlie Sheen Effect."

Experts from John Hopkins University and San Diego State University's School of Public Health did their analysis by following media reports and internet searches after Sheen declared his condition on television in November 2015.

They learned that there was a 540 percent spike for "HIV symptoms" searches and a 214 percent increase in "HIV testing" searches. They also followed news coverage via Bloomberg Terminal and Google Trends to check how the subject became the trending topic. HIV, tests, symptoms and condoms were part of the daily news for three days after Sheen's bombshell.

"Literally millions of people sought out information on condoms, HIV testing and HIV symptoms on the days around Sheen's disclosure," said the study co-author John W. Ayers.

The Celebrity Effect

Ayers notes that raised awareness typically happens when a celebrity's illness is made public. The same thing also happened when Angelina Jolie revealed she underwent an operation to remove her breast and ovaries because she has the BRCA1 cancer gene.

But there was a marked difference between Sheen's declarations with that of basketball superstar Magic Johnson in the 90s, who also declared he is HIV positive. "Now everyone has a smartphone is his or her pocket, there is instant access to information," said Ayers.

Saving More Lives

Given the scenario, the experts are hoping that Sheen's effect -- and that of other celebrities revealing their health conditions in the age of smartphones and social media -- will be taken advantage even further. It should have a lasting and concrete result rather than becoming a fleeting trend.

"No one would recommend [Sheen] as an ambassador for feminist, egalitarian relationships," acknowledged JD Davids, an AIDS awareness advocate. "That being said, he can absolutely take a vital leadership role in providing accurate and lifesaving information on HIV, and in advocating for the policies that can end the epidemic in our lifetimes."

Carl Sciortino of the Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee also believes there's more the actor can do with his celebrity status in raising AIDS awareness. "For example, most of the world still doesn't know that we now have a pill a day that prevents HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). If Charlie got that story out there, we could save a lot of lives."